Town’s bid to end plague of seagulls at risk as firms pull funding
RESIDENTS of a coastal town will be left vulnerable to aggressive seagulls because a scheme to control numbers of the birds does not have enough funding.
In previous years council workers have removed nests and eggs in Stonehaven, Kincardineshire.
The local authority has also deployed hawks and made buildings ‘gull-proof’ with financial assistance from businesses based in the town.
Now it has emerged Aberdeenshire Council no longer has funds for the work.
In previous years, the Stonehaven Town Centre Improvement Group – a collaboration between the council and community groups – has contracted specialists to remove nests and eggs during mating season.
The work costs £6,450 per year, with the local authority providing £1,500 and locals asked to cover the remainder.
Letters were sent to properties in the town asking for support but not enough residents agreed to donate.
A council spokesman said: ‘I can confirm it is extremely unlikely the gull egg and nest removal programme in Stonehaven will go ahead this year due to the lack of residents and businesses signing up to the scheme.’
The gulls have a habit of stealing food from the hands of people walking through the town.
Chairman of Stonehaven Community Council, Raymond Christie, described the birds as a ‘huge problem’.
He said: ‘Council officers tried to get money from residents and local businesses but the take-up this year has been less than in 2019. There is also no money for the council to cover the costs, which is not surprising given this year’s cuts.’