Seagulls, their nests, and their eggs are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, which make it illegal to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure or take any seagull.

It is also a criminal offence to take, damage or destroy and active nest or its contents, prevent or obstruct seagulls from using their nest.

You can give someone else permission to act on your behalf. Under the terms of a gull (public health and safety) licence, authorised people can carry out activities that would otherwise be illegal under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended).

Some activities, such as nest or egg removal, also need to be carried out frequently over a long period of time to be effective.

You can find more information about this licence, and gull management in general, on the NatureScot website.

While we do not have a statutory duty to deal with seagulls, we have adopted a preventative approach to tackling seagull nuisance by:

• working with businesses and food outlets to ensure correct storage and disposal of waste
  
• discouraging littering
  
• carrying out litter patrols in the worst affected areas
  
• visiting schools to ensure young people understand the impact of littering
  
• responding to complaints of excessive bird feeding
  
• providing advice to those experiencing issues with gulls
  

Proofing your property so birds can’t roost, or nest is an effective means of control.

By removing old nests once they have been abandoned and taking appropriate action, you can prevent nesting in the future.

Seagulls can be discouraged from nesting and roosting on your property by using a variety of methods:

• netting - consisting of strong weather-proof plastic nets, appropriately secured
• post and wire systems - wire or strong mono-filament stretched between steel posts that stop the seagulls from roosting
  
• spike systems - plastic or stainless-steel prongs sticking out vertically, at a slight angle, from a base strip
  

It's also so important that you store your waste properly and dispose of it in a responsible way.

It’s not illegal to feed the seagulls but excessive bird feeding, such as scattering food in your garden, can encourage pests, including seagulls. This causes noise and fouling problems.

To report instances of excessive feeding, please email: safercommunities.team@fife.gov.uk

If you find a chick that has fallen from its nest and it’s not injured, it must be left where it is. If it’s in danger, it can be moved a short distance to a safer place.

If it’s injured, you can report an animal in distress (sick, injured or trapped animal) to the SSPCA on 03000 999 999.