A pub landlord has come under fire after fighting back against marauding seagulls that steal his customers’ chips.
Steven Walker, manager of the iconic Ferry Inn in Salcombe, South Devon, has placed loaded water guns – marked ‘Seagull Gun’ in permanent marker – on every beer garden table and is inviting drinkers to take pot shots at the gulls if they come too close.
He claims the tactic is working – with the seabirds learning to recognise the guns and avoid them.
Mr Walker said: ‘If a seagull swoops down and robs someone’s food then the sensible thing is to replace it, which is not ideal for an establishment making its money from selling food and drink. So it seemed a better idea to deter the birds in the first place.
‘We don’t want to harm the birds, although they are quite cocky and a bit of a pest. We just want to scare them away.
‘We have to remind people the water guns are for use against the seagulls, not each other. But we have definitely noticed that, after a few weeks, the birds have come to recognise the guns and stay away.’
The Ferry Inn’s beer terrace overlooks the entrance to Salcombe Harbour, an area that has up to 20,000 visitors at any one time during peak holiday weeks. It is said to be one of the top ten UK pubs for its beer garden views.
A pub landlord has come under fire after fighting back against marauding seagulls that steal his customers’ chips (Stock Photo)
Steven Walker, manager of the iconic Ferry Inn in Salcombe, South Devon, has placed loaded water guns – marked ‘Seagull Gun’ in marker – on every beer garden table (pictured)
The Ferry Inn’s beer terrace, pictured, overlooks the entrance to Salcombe Harbour, an area that has up to 20,000 visitors at any one time during peak holiday weeks
However, its water gun move has been criticised by wildlife charities, who say all species of seagulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 – making it illegal to injure or kill them.
Gull numbers in the UK have dropped by 60 per cent since the 1980s and they are red-listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature for being at risk of extinction.
A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said: ‘We acknowledge that gulls can sometimes be a nuisance, but we’d ask people to consider their own behaviours, too. If you eat outside, consider eating beneath parasols or close to walls where gulls find it more difficult to fly. ‘
A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) said: ‘The main concern about this strategy is it could encourage the idea that gulls are animals to be fought against, or that they’re somehow in the wrong.’
Geoff Edmond, who investigates wildlife crime for the RSPCA, said: ‘Gulls are brilliant birds. They form lifelong bonds, are attentive parents and great at solving problems. Yet they are one of the most persecuted wild birds in this country.
‘We receive a report about deliberate or extreme cruelty to a gull every three days, and last year alone we had nearly 4,000 reports about gulls in need.
‘I have seen gulls kicked, shot with air guns and catapults and stamped on. They might be noisy, they might take our chips, but they deserve our respect just like any other creature.’
But Devon tourist chiefs backed Mr Walker on Saturday, saying the deterrent ‘simply encourages the birds to fly away without causing them any harm’.
