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10th June 2009

Johnstone Urges Gull Measures

Tory MSP Alex Johnstone is calling for more stringent measures to combat the growing seagull nuisance in Stonehaven.

Mr Johnstone said "I have received several complaints about the number of seagulls in Stonehaven, some of which are acting aggressively.  The days of seagulls being confined to cliff nesting or the harbour area are long gone, and there are significant numbers of them moving inland, attracted by the easy availability of food that is discarded."

"I believe Aberdeenshire Council would do well to look at neighbouring Angus, which has just introduced a free egg and nest removal service for residential properties, as well as issuing free advisory booklets on the subject."

"However, I do not believe that the responsibility for dealing with this problem lies solely with the local authority.  Residents and visitors can do their bit by ensuring that they carefully dispose of food wrappers, especially take-away containers, which attract the birds."

"We can all play our part in addressing this issue, and I would urge people not to feed gulls, and to dispose of food wrappers responsibly."

Mr Johnstone concluded "I will be writing to the Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire Council to make him aware of the new egg and nest removal service in Angus and ask him to consider introducing a similar scheme."