A Bath woman who suffered a “vicious” seagull attack has criticised the council for cutting their spending on tackling the nuisance birds.
Debbie Andrews warned that attacks by gulls are on the rise across the city at a full meeting of Bath and North East Somerset Council on 20th July.
She told councillors: “I was attacked recently walking out of M&S with unopened food. As I was putting it in my bag I felt a heavy thud on my back.
“I only realised what it was when a wing hit me across my head and the bird actually bent over my shoulder to peck through the plastic and managed a bite out of the food.
“Two women checked I was ok as it was such a vicious attack.”
She said that a gull had attacked her friend while walking in the Oldfield Park area of Bath and had drawn blood, visitors to the city eating outside in Kingsmead Square had meals snatched off their plates, and one elderly man had his bread snatched from his trolley in the Lidl car park.
She said: “It’s infuriating to know that funding has been withdrawn from trying to solve this problem. I’d like to know why.
“When will funds be released to help solve a problem that is only going to get worse?”
The council has cut £20,000 from the budget to tackle gulls, which had also funded free advice for people on dealing with the birds.
Ms Andrews warned that Oldfield Park risked becoming “a permanent gull retreat.”
She said: “There is no peace as the gull problem in many Oldfield Park streets has become intolerable. For the last four years I have had gulls around me at the back and front of my house so there really is no escape.
“I spent money on my garden when I retired but we don’t eat outside as the gulls gather. Gardening is a mind over matter fight to block out the noise.”
She said her family had to keep windows closed during the warm summer months to block out the noise and risked having to wash laundry again if it was hung outside.
June Player, councillor for neighbouring Westmoreland, said: “Would you like the council to petition Natural England, on behalf of residents, to allow egg and nest removal to be reinstated?”
Ms Andrew said she would.
Council staff have previously warned that their “hands are tied” over tackling the gull problem as the birds are protected by Natural England.
John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter
