Bob Moore, of Shady Lane, Stoke Fleming, writes: Is it just me or has Dartmouth finally lost the plot? On the one hand the Tourist Information Centre is accused of overspending and on the other the BID spends money to fly hawks in an effort to scare away the indigenous population of gulls. I always thought the town council was elected to represent the views of the people of Dartmouth and its reluctance to subsidise this madness surely reflects that majority opinion. It was my understanding that the Government had committed £250,000 in the last budget to assist with solving this problem and set up an 'urban seagull' research fund. Why has Dartmouth not applied for some of this cash? In the Welsh resort of Rhyl local business owners have launched brightly coloured ­balloons with garish faces on them to frighten off the gulls. It is worth noting that the RSPCA has agreed with the council in recognising gulls as wild animals simply following their instincts to find food. Not feeding them or giving them a ready food source by disposing of rubbish properly is essential in the continued ­management of this nuisance.