THE vexed question of seagulls is taking flight in Saltash, after a number of complaints from the Burraton area about gulls dive-bombing residents.

The matter is being raised among Saltash town councillors, in the hope that maybe by acting quickly – before next nesting season – the problem is nipped in the bud.

Caradon chairman, and Saltash councillor, Steve Tait brought the matter to the fore, after hearing that gulls had dive-bombed people waiting in a bus queue at Burraton.

He explained: 'I don't know why the problem should have occurred there, but from all reports there has been an influx of seagulls into Burraton ward this year, something which apparently has never been experienced before.'

Aggressive

Mr Tait said that it had also been noticed that some birds were nesting, which led to gulls becoming aggressive when their young were born.

He felt town councillors ought to be aware of the situation, and maybe take steps to ensure that the matter does not escalate, in the way that it has previously done in both Liskeard and Looe.

He explained: 'I feel that perhaps we ought to do something constructive before the numbers increase.'

He believes that contact should be made with Looe and Liskeard town councils, who have both faced seagull problems. Looe has run an egg-pricking programme for a while, while Liskeard this year run a similar service in a bid to cut down on the number of birds nesting on local roofs. Complaints have included not only aggressive birds, but also the noise which has kept many residents awake at night, and the mess made on buildings.

Problem

Mr Tait said that it is strange the problem seems to have occurred in Burraton ward, because it is certainly not the nearest Saltash ward to the River Tamar. However, his purposes in highlighting the matter was to ensure that perhaps swift moves could be made to prevent a seagull 'invasion'.

He asked for the matter to be put on the town council agenda to see if his colleagues feel action should be taken.