Property owners asked to help tackle town’s gull menace

Action will be taken to deal with ongoing complaints from residents and visitors about nuisance gulls in Stonehaven this spring.

The issue has also been raised as a concern through the community-led Stonehaven Town Centre Improvement Group.

Aberdeenshire Council already takes action at a range of its own properties to deal with the birds, but this only has a limited effect in isolation.

The council is now contacting the owners of properties in the town centre which have been identified as possible nesting locations, to ask them to contribute.

Landlords and their agents are also being contacted.

The council has no statutory duty to take action against gulls, but does recognise the need to protect communities.

“The action the council takes at its own properties and public buildings cannot be successful alone in tackling the issue of nuisance gulls,” said Kincardine and Mearns area manager Willie Munro.

“There has to be a concerted and community-based approach over a longer period of time to tackle this problem,” he added.

“Every year we get complaints from residents and visitors about gulls in the town centre, in terms of the mess their droppings make, noise, litter strewn from bins, damage to property and vehicles, and sometimes even aggressive gulls.

“Again, this is not something the council alone can tackle, and if there is support from the wider community it means we can make the town centre a more pleasant environment for everyone.”