Greedy gulls are tormenting us will mess and screeching (From Worcester News)

Greedy gulls are tormenting us will mess and screeching

7:00am Monday 26th October 2009

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GREEDY seagulls screech above Worcester’s Elgar Retail Park, swooping to feast on the remains of meals discarded by the customers of takeaways. Our picture captures a scene that has become an all too common sight, and is making the lives of nearby residents a misery.

The food litter and the flocks of seagulls are quickly turning Worcester’s Blackpole district into Blackpool, according to fed-up residents.

People living near a new KFC drive-through restaurant says they are being driven mad by the constant shrieking of gulls.

Matt Brown said people visiting the takeaway regularly dump their litter on the car park of the Elgar Retail Park – sometimes because the bins are full, attracting large numbers of gulls to the area.

“It makes Blackpole look like Blackpool,” said Mr Brown, of Salter’s Close. “The only thing missing is the tower.”

KFC empties its own outside bins and run three litter picks per day, but the rest of the car park and bins are serviced by management firm DTZ.

Mr Brown and neighbour Norman James live just a few yards from the car park and say if the problem isn’t sorted, the gull population will swell.

“It’s spoiling our quality of life,” said Mr Brown.

“In a few years I think you won’t be able to sit outside with any food for fear of being dive-bombed.” He also claims the takeaway has drawn late-night ‘boy racers’ who are roaring along the Blackpole Road and using the car park. Rising bollards have been installed to block car access except to the KFC, but they’re not being used, say residents, with DTZ saying several are defective. Coun Alan Amos, who represents Warndon, has called for a summit meeting to sort the issues.

Agreement was recently reached with the nearby McDonald’s over similar problems but KFC and DTZ have so far “passed the buck” rather then settle matters he said.

“People are using the bins provided but they aren’t being collected often enough,” said Coun Amos. “It is ridiculous that the problem has gone on this long.”

KFC has increased litter picks and earlier this year agreed to fit a new air filter to mask food smells.

Neil Piper, KFC area manager, said: “It’s not our responsibility, it’s DTZ’s job to provide sufficient litter pick cover.

“We’ve had nothing but positive feedback from the residents we’ve met.”

Don Lemen, a director of Birmingham-based DTZ, said he wanted a “long-term solution” to the litter problem.

“Further budget has been set aside this year to ensure a higher specification of cleaning and litter services,” he said.

He said a “design defect” had put some of the bollards out of action but an “urgent meeting” was being sought with designers to solve the issue.

Both sides have now offered to meet residents and Coun Amos about the problems.

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