A SQUADRON of hawks or falcons may be brought in to control Dartmouth's pesky seagull problem.

The Dartmouth Business Improvement District is looking to spend £5,600 on bringing in birds of prey to help rid the town of the nuisance gulls.

But Dartmouth Town Council has rejected a request to pay half towards the cost of hiring the predators.

During a debate on Mon­day, Cllr Roger Chilcott said he was disappointed the council was not prepared to work in partnership with the BID.

'I am amazed you don't see this as an opportunity for the town' said Cllr Chilcott, who earlier told the council he remained a management associate on the BID board, despite failing to achieve enough votes at the recent BID?annual general meeting to secure a full directorship.

'We can carry on and continue to exist with minimal relations but it's time to shake ourselves out of this lethargy and do something positive.'

Cllr Chilcott said the problem of seagull mess on pavements and cars was 'appalling' and he, like many, had experienced a seagull taking a sandwich out of his hand and friends had been 'mugged' by the gulls in the town.

He said the BID had been advised that flying a team of hawks for 10 consecutive days, followed 26 other flies during winter, would see off the gulls.

'They do react to having predators in the area,' he said.

'Compared to other quotes, the price is quite reasonable and I think it's good value for money in controlling and managing the problem.'

Cllr Francis Hawke agreed the gulls were 'pesky creatures' but he said they were a part of life in seaside towns.

'Just imagine what would happen if one of those hawks or a bird of prey attacked a seagull or pigeon with people watching or in front of children playing,' he said. 'Imagine the bad publicity we would get.

'We have not budgeted for it and I don't think we should spend it to cull the gulls.'

Cllr Tessa De Galleani said she wasn't keen on the idea.

'A lot can be done to discourage the birds and I think we have to be more vigorous in prosecuting people who leave their rubbish out on the streets that the birds can get at,' she said.

Cllr Tony Fyson said he didn't think it would make a difference unless there was a killing involved, while Cllr Robin Springett said he didn't think a Harris hawk was robust enough to take a gull but it could 'give it a fright'.

Cllr David Gent even if the project was successful it would simply move the problem somewhere else.

Cllr Dave Cawley suggested 'instead of the BID spending £45,000 on rebranding the town doesn't need' it should pay for the whole amount.

BID manager Alison Steere said afterwards the organisation was still looking for match funding from elsewhere for the idea but time was running short because it had to be carried out before the seagull breeding season begins.

Sidmouth Town Council last year budgeted £4,550 for a a falconer to use one of his birds to scare away seagulls.

Jonathan Marshall later told the council he would need to licence to cover him against prosecution if one of his falcons or hawks killed a seagull, which is a protected species.

Residents inland at Sidbury also reported seagulls nesting there for the first time.

Mr Marshall said he could not accept responsibility for where they went when they left the seafront – and attempts to disperse them again will see them go 'from A to B and back to A'.

One Sidmouth councillor said he thought it was a waste of money to try to get rid of gulls – as areas such as Hawaii had tried and failed.