A CAMPAIGN has been launched in a seaside town to encourage residents and visitors not to feed seagulls.

Hartlepool Borough Council says feeding birds can potentially make them more aggressive as well as causing mess and nuisance.

The council fears this could have a negative impact on its efforts to promote the town as a family visitor destination, and has therefore erected street signs and put stickers on litter bins asking people not to feed the seagulls.

Whilst the issue is a town-wide matter, residents say most of the problems tend to occur around fish and chip shops and fast food outlets at Seaton Carew and on the Headland where food dropped on the ground attracts birds.

The launch of the campaign coincides with the school summer holidays, traditionally the busiest time of the year for the seaside areas.

It also comes as the town’s carnival, which is set to attract thousands of visitors, gets into full swing on the Town Moor on the Headland.

Councillor Dave Hunter, chair of the council’s neighbourhood services committee, said: “Food is often deliberately given to birds by people eating outdoors on the seafront at Seaton Carew, the Headland and other areas.

"Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests some people see this as an acceptable alternative to placing their waste food in litter bins.

“The unattractive image of litter and bird dropping-strewn outdoor areas is likely to have a negative impact on people’s perceptions of the town, so we have launched the campaign to protect the town’s reputation as a family visitor destination.

“There is a further risk that if contact between seagulls and people is encouraged the birds could become less fearful of and more aggressive towards people," added Cllr Hunter.

Residents and businesses are being asked to support the campaign by displaying a poster in their window.