Fake nesting towers may reduce gull issues - study

A council-funded study into gull nesting in a seaside town has recommended the use of artificial nesting towers to help manage the birds' impact on the area.

The study, funded by North Yorkshire Council, focused on the Grand Hotel in Scarborough, which experts said was "the most significant" location in the town for endangered kittiwakes to nest.

It found installing towers could reduce some of the issues caused by the birds, including mess and noise.

Earlier this year, the council published a gull strategy following an increased number of complaints about the seabirds on the North Yorkshire coast.

The strategy highlighted "a perceived increase in the urban gull population" in Scarborough, Whitby and Filey amid concerns about "gulls snatching food from people".

An ornithologist has been appointed to provide a feasibility study on the artificial nesting towers, working alongside council officers and the Urban Gull Working Group, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

According to the research, which will be fully published later this year, nesting structures can take several years to be effective.

The project was allocated £14,000 by the Scarborough and Whitby area committee, with £12,900 spent on it so far.

The authority said its strategy must allow "healthy populations of gulls to co-exist" with residents and visitors.

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