Councils dont feed the gulls campaign A CAMPAIGN has been launched in Hartlepool to encourage resid - Friday 04 August 2017

By Hartlepool Alert

Councils dont feed the gulls campaign A CAMPAIGN has been launched in Hartlepool to encourage residents and visitors not to feed seagulls. Whilst the issue is a townwide matter, most problems tend to occur around fish and chip shops and fast food outlets at Seaton Carew and on the Headland where food dropped on the ground attracts birds. Hartlepool Borough Council, which has erected street signs and put stickers on litter bins as part of its campaign, says feeding birds can potentially make them more aggressive and it causes mess and nuisance. And the Council fears this could have a negative impact on its efforts to promote town as a family visitor destination. The launch of the campaign coincides with the school summer holidays, traditionally the busiest time of the year for the seaside areas, and it also comes as the towns carnival, which is set to attract thousands of visitors, gets into full swing on the Town Moor on the Headland. Councillor Dave Hunter, Chair of the Councils Neighbourhood Services Committee, said Food is often deliberately given to birds by people eating outdoors on the seafront at Seaton Carew, the Headland and other areas. Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests some people see this as an acceptable alternative to placing their waste food in litter bins. The unattractive image of litter and bird droppingstrewn outdoor areas is likely to have a negative impact on peoples perceptions of the town, so we have launched the campaign to protect the towns reputation as a family visitor destination. There is a further risk that if contact between seagulls and people is encouraged the birds could become less fearful of and more aggressive towards people. The campaign is part of the Councils Clean and Green Strategy that aims to improve the local environment. Local businesses are being asked to support it by downloading a poster from the Councils website and displaying it in their window. The poster and an information leaflet providing a wide range of information about seagulls can be found at www.hartlepool.gov.ukgulls

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