I note from last week's Cornish Times, that Caradon are debating the vexed question of the gull population in Liskeard.

For the past few years my wife and I have been taking a holiday in Mousehole. They had a terrible problem with gulls.

They would beg for food as soon as you sat on a seat to eat anything. If they were not fed they would often try to snatch it from your hand, given any sort of chance.

The local ice cream shop had a large notice warning of the danger of this. However, that didn't stop gulls from swooping down on you from behind and coming in over your shoulder to neatly lift the ice cream out and before you were even aware of it you'd be left holding an empty cone.

Then - two years ago; everybody in the village was supplied with a Wheelie Bin; almost overnight the gulls were deprived of a good food source and they started to leave for new pastures.

I sometimes wonder if some of them haven't emigrated to Liskeard!

The result of "operation Wheelie Bin" has been far fewer gulls and no more trails of rubbish strewn across the road from hungry and opportunistic foragers.

Having seen at first hand the difference Wheelie Bins can make I am very much in favour of them and I feel that any extra expense is well justified.

BRYAN McNULTY

Liskeard.