The seaside town plagued by seagull ‘invasion’: Birds cause nuisance by stealing tourists’ ice creams and squawking so loudly that people can’t even use their phones
- The problem comes after East Suffolk council set up ‘hotels’ for the birds
‘Nuisance’ seagulls are plaguing a seaside town by stealing tourists’ food and squawking so loudly that people can’t even use their phones.
The ‘vicious’ birds have taken to nicking ice creams and chips at a popular family hotspot in Lowestoft, East Suffolk.
The gull invasion comes after East Suffolk council set up ‘hotels’ for the birds earlier this year – meaning up to 430 pairs can nest in the port.
Ashley Catchpole, a 24-year-old beach cleaner from Lowestoft, said: ‘They’re cute in some ways – but when they go after food they really are vicious and quite horrible.
‘They’re very determined once they see food. The trouble is that some people feed them which makes it worse.
‘Nuisance’ birds have taken to nicking ice creams and chips at a popular family hotspot in Lowestoft, East Suffolk
The gull invasion comes after East Suffolk council set up ‘hotels’ for the birds earlier this year – meaning up to 430 pairs can nest in the port
‘When I sit down to eat my lunch they come really close and touch me.
‘I don’t hit them I just tell them to go away and sometimes have to swing my hand down.’
He added: ‘Even then sometimes they don’t clear off and I have to hide my food.
‘They’re very loud as well. Sometimes you can be on the phone and you can’t hear anything because the seagulls interrupt you.’
Sam Faulkner, 35, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, was visiting Lowestoft last week and said his son’s ice cream almost got stolen by a bird on the first day of their holiday.
‘I bought my son an ice cream and a seagull tried to swoop in and take it from my son’s hand,’ he said.
‘It flew away once I shouted but it kind of hovered near his head trying to get it.
‘I can see why people don’t like them. I can imagine when it’s busy they’d be a problem.
‘The woman working at the ice cream stand said that they’re a nuisance as they’re opportunists and hover around the food shops.
‘There should probably be a sign telling people to watch out for them.’
The seagulls are apparently so loud that people can no longer use their phones in the area
Beach cleaner Adam said people who feed the gulls should be fined as a deterrent.
‘They should be looking for their own food out at sea not eating chips and ice cream. It’s not good for their health,’ he said.
‘It’s not just holidaymakers that feed them, it’s some locals as well. It means they keep coming back for more which makes the problem worse.
READ MORE: Hapless beachgoer loses his sausage roll after flock of hungry seagulls swoop in on him – before he even had the chance to take a bite
‘I think that if someone feeds the seagulls they should get fined. That might help the problem.’
East Suffolk council confirmed it created ‘kittiwake hotels’ earlier this year, with space for up to 430 pairs. Kittiwakes are a type of seagull.
A council spokesperson said: ‘East Suffolk Council is a member of the Lowestoft Kittiwake Partnership, which has a broad membership, including Suffolk Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, and members of the community and local business groups.
‘The partnership was established to enable a co-ordinated approach to a number of issues around safeguarding the endangered urban nesting kittiwake population while acknowledging the interests of businesses and residents.
‘In March this year, artificial nesting structures, or kittiwake ‘hotels’, were installed by energy firms Vattenfall and Scottish Power at the Port of Lowestoft to accommodate up to 430 pairs of the seabirds and protect them from predators.
‘More recently, energy firm Ørsted completed two nearshore kittiwake hotels, one kilometre from the shoreline of South Beach, as part of a Kittiwake Compensation Plan (KCP), required by the Planning Inspectorate, which sets out the proposed compensation relating to potential in-combination effects of Hornsea Three offshore wind project on the designated kittiwake population.’
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