Seagulls have discovered that plastic refuse sacks often contain an easy source of food and stacked up rubbish bags are a tasty lure for scavenging gulls in the town centre.
A readily available food source means that the number of gulls increases, because there is no competition for food increasing litter and bird droppings in the town.
Bridgwater Town Council advise:
Do not feed the gulls – a source of readily available food, either from discarded fast food or crusts, encourages the birds to breed. If food is not in a plentiful supply, nature takes over and population numbers are controlled naturally.
Put your rubbish out on the day of collection – so that the birds do not attack it overnight and get additional food scraps.
If the bins are full – please hold onto your rubbish to dispose of at home. Seagulls are clever and will pull rubbish out of overflowing bins and tear apart bags of rubbish placed next to or on top of bins, scattering litter everywhere while on the hunt for tasty treats.
We know Seagulls in the town are a problem, but it remains one that is incredibly difficult to resolve – in reality, we can only mitigate against the problems caused by them.
High pressure cleaning techniques will be used twice a year alongside the regular cleaning undertaken by Bridgwater Town Council Operatives to help keep the streets of Bridgwater clean.
Cleanliness issues on the streets of Bridgwater can be reported using Bridgwater Town Councils reporting form Reporting form (office.com)