Oh no! Worcester's seagull menace hits business park

Worcester City Council has been urged to tackle problems around Bromwich Road amid concern a "massive nesting colony" has settled there.

The unpopular gulls are also said to be waking householders up by screeching from 4am onwards, covering vehicles and properties in muck.

Some of the problems centre on Malvern Gate business park, which features an array of relatively flat metal roofs which the gulls use as a resting spot.

Some people living adjacent to the site yesterday told the Worcester News the problem is getting worse.

Paul Wright, 51, said: "You see them all the time - I've lost count of the number of times they've covered the cars in muck."

Conservative Councillor Alan Amos, who represents the Bedwardine ward, said: "The problem of gulls has increased dramatically during the past year in Bedwardine, with gull droppings covering people's houses and windows in particular.

"It's been on washing on the line, and on cars which has had to be removed quickly due to the acidic and toxic nature of the mess - as well as causing major disturbance to residents' sleep with gulls screeching from 4am onwards.

"These gulls have established a huge nesting colony on Malvern Gate from which they are harassing and bombarding local residents."

Only last month the city council's Labour leadership agreed to spend £15,000 on tackling Worcester's gulls, a record sum.

It will be spent on advice for cafe owners with outdoor seating, targeted support to businesses, expanding the current egg replacement programme where fake plastic eggs are left on roofs to deter gulls from leaving real ones, and more trials of a scheme to paint roofs red.

So-called 'gull proof' bins which the birds are unable to physically open are also expected to be placed at key city centre locations.

Cllr Amos raised his concerns during a full council meeting, where the Labour administration reiterated the spending pledge.

Councillor Adrian Gregson, the city's leader, also likened Cllr Amos to a "pied piper" - saying he used to raise the same issue when he represented Warndon.

"I seem to remember the same councillor having concern about gulls, accurate ones, in Warndon - and now it's moved over to Bedwardine," said Cllr Gregson.

"It seems to me that the councillor is becoming a bit of a pied piper - I wonder if he can be encouraged to leave the city."

There were 181 nesting pairs in the city centre during the last breeding season, down from 217 in 2013.

But despite the apparent drop there are serious concerns the problem is as bad as ever, with many gulls pushed out into residential areas.

Malvern Gate has several tenants, including the Worcestershire and Herefordshire branch of Age Concern, but is owned by a company in Cheltenham.

Yesterday the Worcester News contacted the site's facilities manager to ask for comment.