Gull problem

Whilst gulls are an inevitable part of a seaside town, human naivety and Rother District Council complacency (as demonstrated by the situation in Western Road) have enabled them to thrive inland, where they have no natural predators and rapidly become pests.

For example, a while ago the Observer published a report of gull damage to Bexhill High School.

I have lived in The Highlands (very near to the High School site) for over 50 years. In just the last three to four years, the tranquillity of the area has been shattered by a rapidly growing herring gull population.

Currently, the situation is tolerable, but if it is ignored for much longer, our lives will become a gull-dominated misery. The noise will keep us awake at night, their muck will rain down upon us such that we won’t be able to hang out our washing or enjoy our gardens; our cars will need frequent cleaning.

Under such circumstances, it is difficult to believe that property values would not fall, as potential buyers decide not to live in the middle of a gull colony!

However, the biggest danger will be that of attack by gulls defending their nests/eggs/chicks. As any such attack would be upon the head, the possibility of serious injury is obvious. The power and aggression of these creatures cannot be overstated.

Because I don’t want gulls nesting on my property, I do nothing more than shoo them off the roof. For my pains, I can no longer walk down the road without being “mobbed”; but for the houses and trees, I am sure that I would have been attacked by now.

Doubtless, many of your readers will find this letter alarmist, even amusing, but a brief search on the internet revealed numerous cases of gulls attacking people, including one where a man actually died.

So, I conclude by appealing to everyone to ensure that all food waste is inaccessible to gulls and to Rother to take this matter seriously. We humans have helped gulls more than enough.

It is time to remember that there is a good reason why we use the word “seagull”, even though there is actually no such bird.

PAUL CAMPBELL

The Highlands

Bexhill-on-Sea