Councillor’s dismay over Filey’s gull snub
Plan to tackle nesting and attacks will only cover Scarborough and Whitby
A Filey councillor has called on the town to be included in the plans to disperse herring gulls from the borough’s coast.
Cllr Sam Cross said it was “typical” that only Scarborough and Whitby would benefit from a £30,000 investment to tackle the growing number of attacks on humans from the birds.
Among the measure is the introduction of raptors to scare the birds away from nesting in the town centre.
The one-year trial will begin shortly but UKIP councillor Cross left last week’s full council meeting in no doubt as to his feelings on the matter.
He said: “A resident of mine contacted me, he’s called John and John said to me ‘what we ought to have in Filey is those birds that are flying about in Scarborough to frighten our gulls away’.
“We all [in] Filey know that Filey is better than Scarborough. So when [the gulls] are frightened away from Scarborough they are going to come to Filey.
“So, I would like those birds flying above Filey to frighten the seagulls away. It is not just Scarborough that has a problem –Filey has a problem with gulls too.
Cabinet member Cllr Bill Chatt said he’d asked the contractor to look at other areas in the borough, including Filey, but said the council had limited time to put the plan together and due to the “limited spend” could not include the town.
Any future use of the raptors in Filey will not be until after the Scarborough and Whitby trial has concluded this year.
The one-year trial disruption and dispersal programme, which was agreed by borough councillors last month, will focus on seafront and town centre locations in Scarborough and Whitby, will involve the removal of herring gull eggs and nests from buildings in the selected areas and the use of birds of prey such as Harris hawks and falcons as deterrents. Nick Harper will play at Filey Folk Festival as part of the Loudhailer Seaside Special at the Masonic Hall on Saturday April 29.
Son of the legendary UK singer-songwriter Roy Harper, Nick was born in London and raised in Wiltshire.
Having played the guitar from the age of 10 and surrounded by the likes of Keith Moon, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and Dave Gilmour as he grew up, it was no surprise when Nick made his recording debut on his father’s Whatever Happened to Jugula? in 1985.
Since 1994 Nick has recorded nine studio albums, a double live CD, 2 EPs and a rockumentary style DVD ‘Love is Music’.
Between albums Nick is known for touring with a vengeance – he’s now appeared at Glastonbury Festival six times.
There will also be two Loudhailer Seaside Special afternoons of acoustic music on Saturday April 30 and Sunday May 1 from 2pm to 5pm.
For details and ticket information visit http:// loudhailer.net