Seagull 'menace' solutions sought

Dumfries has suffered problems with seagulls for many years

A national summit on the issue of urban seagulls is to be held later this year.

It is hoped that the forum can identify the best way of dealing with the birds which have caused problems in places as far apart as Dumfries and Aberdeen.

The event is to be jointly hosted by the Scottish Government and Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Environment Minister Mike Russell said he hoped the solutions found in Dumfries might be of benefit to communities throughout Scotland.

A number of towns and cities have been badly affected by the birds.

In Dumfries there have been proposals to "seagull-proof" town centre buildings.

While in Aberdeen the council even considered oiling eggs in a bid to reduce bird numbers.

It would be interesting to get everyone around the table to share good practice on dealing with this tricky issue Jack Groom Dumfries provost

Mr Russell said he believed the time had come to tackle the problem.

"For too long now large colonies of seagulls have become increasingly problematic in our towns and cities," he said.

"This can be because of droppings, birds removing litter from bins, noise and even protective parents acting aggressively towards people during the breeding season.

"This is why I have agreed to hold a summit to look at addressing the problems caused by seagulls."

Dumfries provost Jack Groom said he was pleased the summit was being held.

"Gulls are a perennial problem in Scottish towns and cities and we have a particular problem in Dumfries," he said.

"It would be interesting to get everyone around the table to share good practice on dealing with this tricky issue."