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Clevedon residents at 'wits end' over gull behaviour

Annemarie Bryant Annemarie and her dog DottyAnnemarie Bryant
Ms Bryant said the gulls dropped chicken and lamb bones, which can be dangerous for dogs if they eat them

Residents of a coastal town apartment block are said to be at their "wits end" after being targeted by gulls waking them before dawn and dive bombing them when they go outside.

Annemarie Bryant said she and her neighbours at Knightstone Court in Clevedon, Somerset, were unable to use their gardens because of the birds.

She said the buildings owners Live West were not doing enough to help.

A company spokesman said it was seeking "appropriate, preventative measures".

Ms Bryant said one of the key problems was the property's flat roof which was the "perfect breeding ground" for gulls.

She has asked for netting to be put up after breeding season has finished to deter them from nesting there again.

A flock of gulls
The birds regularly dive bomb residents, Ms Bryant said

Ms Bryant said the birds were affecting residents "on a daily basis", regularly waking people up before 03:00 BST.

She said bird droppings were the "big issue".

"Their faeces is just everywhere. It's disgusting," she added.

Ms Bryant said she has to have a parasol up in the garden otherwise there was a chance of "eating your meal with seagull droppings".

She said while her dog Dotty had not been dive bombed by the birds, some neighbour's cats had been.

"I've had chicken carcasses dropped in the garden, and lamb bones," she said.

"Anybody knows if a dog gets hold of them it's going to be a trip to the vets," she added.

She said when the gulls protect their young it became "impossible" for anyone to sit or work in their garden "because they get dive bombed".

Annemarie Bryant A car bonnet with bird pooAnnemarie Bryant
Ms Bryant said the bird poo was "disgusting" and "just everywhere"

'Just horrific'

She said owners Live West had been asked to help but after a year of asking, nothing had been done.

Director of Neighbourhoods for Live West, James Reseigh, told the BBC: "We are sorry to hear about the residents' situation.

"We have tried to speak to [them] to give them assurance that we will appoint a licensed contractor to look into the most appropriate, preventative measures for this particular situation."

Ms Bryant said she hoped a solution could be found soon and described the situation as "just horrific".

"As the young being born here return, so the cycle goes on and the population is getting bigger," she said.

RSPB advice on bird netting

  • The charity says every effort should be made to find alternatives to using netting to stop birds nesting that work for both people and wildlife eg: specialised nesting boxes or ledges
  • If netting must be used to prevent birds nesting, it should be installed in a way that it will not catch and hold birds and other wildlife
  • All reasonable precautions should be taken to ensure that no wildlife is trapped inside the netting when it is installed
  • Netting used to stop birds nesting should be checked at least once a day, but ideally three times, to ensure it has not become defective, loose or damaged and that no wildlife is trapped
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