Norwich man’s warning over anti-social gulls in Riverside

Riverside resident Sebastian Martin who is constantly disturbed by the gulls that roost near his flat.Photo by Simon Finlay (Image: Archant Norfolk)

Sebastian Martin who moved to Broadland Court, in Wherry Road, ten years ago said he had been having many sleepless nights this summer because of a colony of gulls nesting in the area.

The 32-year-old has called on local authorities to take action to stop the birds, believed to be herring gulls, from nesting on the roofs of homes and businesses in the Riverside area.

Mr Martin said that during the summer, he was being woken up between 3am and 6am by the gulls when they are particularly active and noisy.

The RSPCA volunteer said the gulls have been causing a problem over the last three years. However, they have been particularly noisy between the months of May and July this year when they have been nesting.

Mr Martin called for someone to take action before the bird population gets out of control. He added that the roof of the Currys store in Riverside had become a popular nesting ground for the gulls.

'You can constantly hear them and I have bought some ear plugs to wear at night because I have been losing sleep. I have done some research and found that they are red listed, but they are beginning to cause an environmental health issue.'

'I have considered moving out, but I have lived here ten years and I do not see why I should move out. When you are getting woken up at 3am, it makes you feel so angry,' he said.

Mr Martin said that because the herring gulls were a protected species as a result of dwindling populations in the wild, it is illegal to cull them or destroy their eggs.

'Now they have finished their breeding season, it is a good time to do something. They could put spikes on lamp posts and they could put netting on the roof to stop them from nesting.'

'I am an animal lover and I like birds, but this is such a disruption and I am concerned that if nothing is done that in two or three years we will have a big population of angry, hungry gulls,' he said.

Mr Martin said the birds' droppings were beginning to pose an environmental health risk to people living in the area. He added that he had witnessed the gulls dive bombing outdoor tables at the Queen of the Iceni pub in Riverside to snatch people's food.

Savills, the agent of the Currys store, has pledged to investigate the matter.

Officials Wherry Housing Association, which owns homes in Broadland Court, have also agreed to meet Mr Martin to discuss the problem.