'Gull Champion' fights seagull menace gripping coastal communities amid rise in noise and 'muggings'

Councillor Keane Duncan is the Executive Member for Highways and Road Safety at North Yorkshire Council and told GB News that the authority is working hard to address the seagull problem.

"We are seeking to fight back against the seagull menace that is gripping our coastal communities," he said.

"The issues that we've seen down the seafront, we're now seeing more and more in the town centre.

"We have a programme of street cleansing works to try and keep our streets as clean as we possibly can. We have a gull-proofing scheme so businesses and local people can apply for grants up to £2,000 to try and keep gulls away from their properties.

"We also strongly advise the public not to feed the birds, not to drop litter. Clearly, fish and chips are not parts of a seagull's natural diet."

The spate of seagull muggings and the filth they create has caused a drop in business for Caffe Italia.

The shop sits next to McBean Steps in the centre of Scarborough, which are covered in guano, which is seagull faeces.

Owner of Caffe Italia, Jeanette Mendola, told GB News: "It's a mess. It's a health hazard and it's like the forgotten square. Holidaymakers are complaining it's quieter for business.

"Nobody will sit outside and they really need to do something about the seagulls."

In Scarborough town centre, GB News asked people about their experiences with the seagulls.

One woman, who was visiting from Felixstowe, said: "I cannot stand them [seagulls]. They're noisy. They're messy. They knick your ice cream. They knick chips. Don't like them at all."

• Romanian citizen charged with stabbing child tourist ‘eight times’ remanded in custody
• Harry and Meghan rush to downplay split as 'mutual agreement'
• Labour MP sparks outrage after blaming violent riots on Israel

But her friend disagreed and said: "They've got a really good character, and they're funny and they're pretty. If you paint them, you can see all the different colours on them. Yeah, I love them."

A child told us how her sister was mugged by a seagull. She said: "The seagulls stole from my sausage roll out of my little sister's hand and bit her. She was holding a sausage roll, and then it just swooped down and bit her and took it away."

This was echoed by a woman who told us: "Well, I had a nice new ice cream and I'm holding it and it just came down. It was about this close to my face and came right down, took the entire thing and swooped off.

"I guess I was lucky it didn't hit me."

One man spoke about how much mess the seagulls have created and said: "You can see the droppings everywhere. It's on some shops you've just got to swerve around it in case one comes along."

Another resident told GB News: "They're okay in that place, but wasn't there in the wrong place. There really are problems."

Like them or loathe them, gulls, their chicks and their nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This means it's illegal to intentionally kill, take or injure gulls, take or destroy their eggs, or damage or destroy any gull nests while they are in use or being built - unless acting under licence.

Although gulls are a common sight in many areas near the coast, some species of gull, such as herring gulls and kittiwakes, are actually on the UK Red List. The RSPCA say they are considered species of conservation concern in the UK because there's evidence suggesting that their populations are in decline overall.

The advice is not to feed gulls and to pick up litter and put it in gull-proof litter bins rather than leaving it in bags or crates of rubbish where gulls can access the food.