An additional £25,000 has been earmarked to expand the trial measures planned to help tackle the ongoing gull menace in Bath and North East Somerset, bringing the total funding for the new ‘Gull Strategy’ to £85,000.
The additional funding will be used to enable the trial measures, including nest-clearing, to be undertaken over a wider area than originally planned, including parts of Kingsmead, Widcombe, Westmoreland and Newbridge, in addition to Bath city centre, Twerton and Midsomer Norton.
The Council is focussing on locations identified as either having the highest gull populations based upon counts undertaken over the past year, or where there have been significant increases in the gull population.
Councillor Martin Veal (Cons, Bathavon North), the Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “Gulls and the problems they cause are a major issue for local residents, so I’m very pleased that we have been able to allocate these additional funds to tackling this problem.
“As a result of this extra funding we will be able to undertake the trial over a wider area than originally planned, with a focus on locations identified as either having the highest gull populations, or where there have been significant increases in recent years.
“The measures we are undertaking fall under three categories – deterring the gull population from settling in our area, including a new programme of nest removal, reducing access to food sources, and improving communication with the public on the importance of working together to tackle this problem.
“Alongside this, the Council will be working with our universities on an innovative research project to assess gull behaviour so that we can further improve the way we tackle this problem in future.”