Hawk patrols lead to traders calling on shoppers to stop feeding birds in Swansea

Traders in Swansea who have backed the introduction of hawks in the city to prevent seagulls nesting in the city centre have called on the public to stop feeding gulls.

Swansea Council recently announced an initiative which involves specially trained hawks being deployed above the roof area outside Swansea Market

The council says the nesting and scavenging of gulls has been a problem on the roof area of the market for a number of years.

Now market traders are also calling on visitors to the city centre to do their bit and not feed seagulls and pigeons.

Jan Evans who runs a bakery stall in the market said: “I think anything that rids the market of pigeons and seagulls gets my vote.

“The problem is these birds were born on the roof of the market so they know nowhere else. But it would really help if people would stop feeding them on the benches outside St Mary’s church.”

Russell Greenslade, Chief Executive of Swansea BID, said: “We have a lot of food related businesses in the city centre and feedback from the business, large and small, has been that feeding the birds creates numerous issues for them and their customers such as the birds stealing food.

“They also leave a mess behind which impacts on the visitor experience and trading environment.”

Last year the council launched a campaign to encourage shoppers to use bins to dispose of leftover food and not feed it to the birds.

Litter enforcement officers have also been issuing fixed penalties to anyone caught throwing food on the ground.

David Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transportation, said: “We got a lot of positive feedback and support for the campaign because people recognise the nuisance seagulls and pigeons can cause.

“It’s not just about the problem of bird mess damaging pavements, buildings and street furniture. In particular we heard stories about gulls attacking people in the city centre for their food because they’re no longer afraid.

“Our ‘Feed the Bins, not the birds’ campaign was designed to highlight the issue and to encourage city centre visitors to help create a cleaner, tidier, more welcoming environment.”