Crackdown on Arran gull feeding menace
People caught feeding gulls have been warned they could be hit with a fine.
North Ayrshire Council says it is taking action in a bid to tackle the problem which is blighting seaside towns across Arran.
Signs have gone up in villages around the island, as well as on the mainland, warning people that they could be hit with a fixed penalty notice of £80 by council enforcement officers.
While there is no specific legislation to deal with those feeding gulls, the council is looking at littering and anti-social behaviour policies that are already in place.
A council spokesman said: ‘The biggest single reason behind the gull problem is people feeding them.
‘They might think they are being kind, but they are not being kind.
‘They are exacerbating a problem which can have a really negative experience for people visiting or living in our seaside towns.
‘We have used social media, press and signs along the seafront to try and get the message out there that it’s unacceptable to feed the birds.
‘Now we feel we have to take stronger action.
‘We think this is something that will be supported by the majority of people.
‘From a legal standpoint, we think feeding gulls could quite conceivably be seen as anti-social behaviour.
‘Feeding them is actually resulting in the aggressive behaviour of gulls as they then expect to be fed and swoop down on people.
‘We could also look at it as littering and, like anyone else caught littering, we would issue a fine.’
When the council introduced its litter, fly tipping and dog fouling prevention strategy it adopted a three Es approach - educate, enable, and enforce.