Urban gulls create mess by scavenging food waste, spread their droppings on buildings and pavements and can be very noisy.
Gulls are attracted to areas where food is plentiful and where there are attractive nesting sites – like high, flat roofs, chimneys and sections of pitched roof hidden from view. We can all play a part in tackling the problems they cause.
- pdf Download the advice leaflet for residents (3.18 MB) – print out copies and share them with your friends and family.
- pdf Download the advice leaflet for businesses (1.71 MB) - if you own or work for a Worcester business.
- pdf Download the “Feed the bins, not the gulls” A3 poster (4.29 MB) – print it out and display it in your home or workplace.
Things we can all do
- Feed the bins, not the gulls – dispose of your waste food carefully and responsibly, when you’re at home or out and about
- Ensure waste food is wrapped up before putting it in a litter bin or your home wheelie bin
- Don’t leave waste food hanging out of a bin
- Never drop your waste food on the floor
- Don’t overfill your bin so the lid can’t close properly
- Do not feed gulls – if you feed other wild birds only use grain or seed, both of which are unattractive to gulls (beware of encouraging pigeons though)
- If gulls nest on your home or building consider action to stop them – steel exclusion mesh, gull netting, gull spikes, and wires can all be effective. Find out more
- At the end of the nesting season (usually September), if gulls have been using your home or building, remove all nests and nesting materials. This can discourage them from coming back the next year
- If you find an injured chick, please contact the RSPCA
Did you know?
- Gulls are at their most aggressive and noisy during June, July and August when they are protecting and feeding their chicks
- Typically, two or three eggs are laid in each nest
- The majority of gulls in Worcester are lesser black-backed gulls and herring gulls
- The average gull life expectancy is 27 years
- Gulls are given a high level of protection under the law because their numbers are in decline in coastal areas
- A survey of Worcester’s gulls in 2020 estimated that the city had 1,072 breeding pairs
- Advice on discouraging nesting and other issues relating to gulls is available from the City Council’s gull officer
- The Worcester City gull officer can provide help to residents and businesses where gulls are causing direct threats to public health or to public safety
- Worcester’s gull officer can be contacted via 01905 822799 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.