LETTER: Seagulls

Yes we know gulls are creatures born to live by the sea.

I presume the web design of the birds’ feet are meant for swimming, not as with other birds, claws to cling onto branches.

The problem surely is if the birds are fed, they will return for further sustenance and not bother to forage for food. That means that smaller birds are frequently bullied by the gulls in certain circumstances causing their death.

I know of one lady in Pevensey Bay who despite being warned by the authorities that she was committing an offence continued to leave out bread. It became impossible to hang out washing without it getting soiled and the whole area getting a covering of the birds’ mess.

I well remember as a young police officer in Seaford in the early ’70s seeing the rubbish that had been in the waste bins being strewn all over the ground. I presumed this was the action of humans but found the gulls had attacked the bins for food and left the pavement strewn with rubbish.

Don’t feed the seagulls and let them return to their natural habitat for food.

Simon Francis

Rattle Rd, Westham