Bird’s-eye view (From The Argus)

Bird’s-eye view

5:52pm Friday 30th April 2010 in Your Argus

Brighton and Hove is a city by the seaside and as such we are likely to see and hear a lot of seagulls, especially during the next few months when they are breeding. We should be protecting them, not thinking about culling them or taking any other drastic measures against them (The Argus, April 27).

The RSPB has hit the nail on the head – seagulls are part of the coastal environment, have always been and I hope always will be. There is nothing like squawking gulls to tell you that you are by the seaside.

They do make a cacophony of noise in the early hours of the morning but this has always been part of living by the seaside. Several types of seagulls are a protected species, which is quite right in my view.

The killing or injuring of the gulls carries stiff penalties which is a situation that should not change and when an offender is caught should be fully enforced.

Where urban seagulls, which we are now seeing more of due to lack of food, are concerned they do cause a nuisance by ripping open bin bags and strewing the contents all over the streets.

This can be largely avoided by putting all rubbish bags in the green bins which Brighton and Hove City Council provides for residents, plus the local black community bins they provide in various parts of the city. I think it is very rare that gulls swoop on humans and cause any injury.

In my opinion, we need not take any action against them.

Steve Fuller
Rowan Avenue, Hove