Why should beachgoers avoid feeding seagulls?

The sound of squawking seagulls has long been associated with the great British seaside, but how bad is it to feed the birds one or two of your leftover chips?

As the summer holidays begin, Felixstowe Town Council has backed a campaign to stop beachgoers giving gulls scraps, after the authority said it causes aggressive behaviour, creates mess and the food can harm them.

People living in the Suffolk town said they were fond of the seagulls and do not mind them, as long as they do not "poop" on their cars.

Dr Viola Ross-Smith, from the British Trust for Ornithology, which is based in Thetford, Norfolk, said: "In most cases, the food isn't healthy for them."

John Bailey and Penny Parsons have recently moved to Felixstowe and do not find the seagulls too much of an issue.

"We have got seagulls on our caravan and they wake us up about 04:00 BST walking on the roof and landing on the roof - but apart from that we don't really have anything to do with them," said Bailey, as he tucked into some fish and chips on Felixstowe's promenade.

"If we were allowed to [feed them], we probably would. I know people who've chucked the chips and they all come swarming over. It does bother me when there's a lot of them but the individual seagulls are not a problem.

"The only thing I worry about is them pooping on my car!"

Tracey Verguld and Natalie Cook, who had been enjoying Felixstowe beach with their children as the summer holidays began, said they liked being around the birds.

"I love nature. I'm not fussed about that at all. I suppose [feeding them] encourages them to come over but what happens if we don't feed them? Will they go elsewhere? I do love seagulls," said Cook.

"It's important they're eating as well. In moderation, a little tiny bit maybe? There are so many people around though that you worry for the health of the birds as well," she added.

Verguld said she has had worst run-ins with seagulls elsewhere in the country, adding: "We've been in St Ives in Cornwall and they will take your food out of your hand.

"That's the only problem - when you feed them and they get closer and closer - but I don't have a problem with them. They took my Cornish pasty in St Ives so I think that's when they become a bit of a pest!"

Ross-Smith welcomes Felixstowe Town Council's approach to caring for the birds.

"I understand that some people like watching the gulls being fed - they sweep down very elegantly and it's quite impressive," she said. "But actually, in most cases, this food isn't very healthy for them. It's junk food for us and it's junk food for them."

Ross-Smith advised that it was better for the birds to find food in their wider environment, yet she acknowledged this was not always easy with declines in their natural food sources.

"There aren't as many fish in the sea, there aren't as many invertebrates for gulls to eat, but it's definitely better for them if they are encouraged to feed that way instead of eating our chips and ice cream."

She added: "I think the advice [from the town council] is probably quite sensible. The herring is on the Birds of Conservation Concern red list because its populations are declining and it helps that people actually like these gulls, so anything that can reduce the conflict between humans and them is a good thing."

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