PEOPLE in St John's say they are being "plagued" by seagulls - with the pesky birds attacking passers-by, dive-bombing pets and covering homes in droppings.

Councillor Richard Udall, who represents the area, says the filthy birds are "not just a city centre problem" and wants the crackdown extended to residential areas.

It comes after Worcester City Council's Labour leadership pledged to review its work on reducing the seagull population after a spark in complaints over the summer.

Councillor Udall said: "It really needs to be tackled, but it is not just a city centre problem, residential areas across the city are also plagued by the infestation of seagulls.

"In my own St John’s area residents of Blakefield Road have been contacting me in large numbers about the seagulls that have moved to their neighbourhood.

"They have been attacked, dive bombed and pecked, pets and children are at risk and droppings are damaging property."

Some people in the area have suggested a hawk be used to scare them away - a tactic already used in the city centre last year which had an impact.

Councillor Udall told the Worcester News he felt that was one "cheap and affordable option" to bring in.

“We must no longer shrug our shoulders and say nothing can be done, something must be done," he said.

"These birds are making lives a misery for people and action is required."

It comes as other people across the city contacted this newspaper with similar concerns.

Ken Tudor, 46, who lives in Blackpole adjacent to the KFC at Elgar Retail Park, said: "The seagulls may have dropped in Worcester city centre but around here they seem worse than ever.

"They all congregate around the retail park after food and the mess they create is absolutely disgusting.

"The shops should be paying the council some money to help sort it out.

"It's a right state, bird droppings are all over the place - most people don't live in the city centre so if the numbers drop there it's hard to see why we should be excited about it living here."

The work on tackling seagulls is contracted out to a firm called Red Kite, which has been relying on a strategy where fake plastic eggs are left on roofs to discourage the birds from leaving real ones.

The tactic seems to have worked, with the city's population of nesting pairs 181 at the last count - a modern-day low.

The number stood at a whopping 317 in 2008, when the city centre gull menace was at its height.

Councillor Jabba Riaz, the cabinet member for a clean, green and leisure services, is having discussions with his leadership colleagues about what to do after getting a spate of emails from disgruntled residents over the last month.

He said there is "definitely a problem" despite the falling figures.

Some of the grumbles have come from people living in Phoenix Court apartments in New Street and Diglis around Albion Mill.