THE city council is urging residents to take action to prevent seagulls from nesting on roofs.

Regularly opening and shutting skylight windows or doors, using an extended pole to tap loudly on roof areas and physically making your presence known could help to make your roof less attractive as a nesting place.

The City Council is investing £30,000 in the 2020/21 financial year to help businesses and residents tackle the problem – and an additional £5,000 to pay for an extendable cherry picker to give the capacity to remove nests from high and previously inaccessible roofing areas in some parts of the city.

Councillor Joy Squires said: "I would urge residents and business owners who have had previous problems to make their presence known to potential nesters as much as possible over the next few weeks. Increased noise and human presence will definitely make your roof a much less attractive place for gulls to settle on."

Deterring Gulls – things we can all do:

  • Feed the bins, not the gulls – dispose of your waste food carefully and responsibly, when you're at home or out and about
  • Ensure waste food is wrapped up before putting it in a litter bin or your home wheelie bin
  • Don't leave waste food hanging out of a bin
  • Never drop your waste food on the ground
  • Don't overfill your bin so the lid can't close properly
  • Don't feed birds in parks, open spaces or on the street
  • If gulls nest on your home or building consider action to stop them – spikes, nets and wires can all be effective
  • At the end of the nesting season (usually September), if gulls have been using your home or building, remove all nests and nesting materials. This can discourage them from coming back the next year