More power must be given to homeowners “menaced” by seagulls to tackle the problem, MPs have said.

A debate on how to deal with attacks and disturbance by seagulls has been in held in Westminster During the Westminster Hall debate Hove MP Mike Weatherley insisted it was the job of people to change their behaviour to limit the spread of the birds.

He said: “In Brighton and Hove we like seagulls – our football club has even adorned its new stadium with seagull images.

"However, in numbers they can cause distress and mess.”

Tory MP Peter Aldous, who arranged the debate, suggested the Government should consider changing licensing controls so residents could take action against seagulls if they were causing a problem.

He said their “piercing call” was a nightmare for residents, and described them as being “indiscriminate defecators, with the ability to expel significant quantities of runny faeces on the wing”.

Defra Minister Jim Paice said a range of options were already open to councils, including lethal control and disrupting eggs and nests.

But he added: “Food supply is the single most important factor. If it can be denied them, they will go elsewhere.”

Anger at seagull attacks have led to brutal retaliation against the birds in the past.

Last year the National Seagull Rescue and Protection (NSRP) campaign offered £5,000 reward to catch the gunman believed to be behind the shooting of up to 50 gulls between Brighton and Eastbourne.

In July this year residents in Saltdean reported what appeared to be a gruesome ritual in which seagulls were beheaded and laid out on the beach.

Shooting a seagull is a criminal offence which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail or a £20,000 fine.