A NEW plan to tackle gull nests in Worcester, including spending £40,000, will be considered by councillors.

An action plan to reduce the number of the birds in the city will be examined by councillors, with plans including creating three gull-nest exclusion zones, subsidising property owners to make their buildings gull-proof and campaigning for a change to the national limit on what can be done to control the birds.

The city council's environment committee will consider the new plan, with the birds being a constant nuisance to residents in recent years.

They have been seen swooping on pedestrians, calling out noisily in the morning and depositing large amounts of bird poo on the city.

Councillor Andy Stafford, chairman of Worcester City Council’s environment committee, said: "There are only a few gulls left in the city at this time of year, but everyone in the city knows that when they return in the spring for the nesting season they once again become both a pest and, in some cases, a direct threat to public health and safety.

"Earlier this year we doubled the budget to tackle the problems they cause to £60,000 and now is the time when we have to start planning for their return, so that we make sure there are fewer breeding pairs in 2022."

The new action plan includes the idea of creating three experimental gull nest exclusion zones in The Tything, at Weir Lane, Lower Wick and around Fish St and Copenhagen St in the city centre.

The idea is to ensure there are no nesting gulls whatsoever in these zones, with a range of actions being taken to achieve this – including installing spikes, netting, and wire-mesh cages at popular nesting spots, plus activities that will disturb the birds including human presence at the sites, tapping roofs, shining lights, and the playing of recordings of gulls’ distress calls. 

To deliver these actions, the Environment Committee will be asked to support a further £40,000 increase in the gull control budget, with the 2022 plan estimated to cost £74,500. 

The Environment Committee meets at the Guildhall at 7pm on Tuesday, November 2. 

The meeting can be watched live at www.youtube.com/WorcesterCityCouncil.