Here we go again. Another year, another discussion about herring gulls.

Pests, vermin, thieves, spreaders of rubbish. Come on, pull yourselves together folks. This is the seaside and it’s where gulls have always lived.

They used to nest on the cliffs but since we levelled the sides off and netted parts of them as a precaution against rock falls as well as building along them, the gulls use our roofs instead.

Like many wild creatures living close to humans, they are opportunists.

They’ve come to realise that plastic sacks often contain food. So the answer is simple – if you don’t want rubbish strewn all over the streets, stop leaving those bags out. However, I’m sure everyone would agree that our seafront and beaches look far worse for litter after an influx of visitors over a sunny weekend, but I’ve yet to hear anyone proposing that we spend a huge amount on keeping the tourists away.

Sue Baumgardt Stoneham Road, Hove