GARAGE owners yesterday pleaded with officials to deal with seagulls in Gloucester city centre.

During a debate at Westminster yesterday, MPs heard the problem had even prompted one firm to consider moving out of Gloucester.

Jeff Close, manager of Nick King Car Sales Ltd in Bristol Road, said his business had experienced problems for years.

"Between March and September we are out there every morning cleaning bird mess off the cars, it is horrendous,"

He added: "We have to employ a car washer just to deal with it, it really is awful."

He urged officials to do something about the problem.

"The thing is, when they are moved on from the tip, they just move into Gloucester causing problems for everyone who lives and works in the city," he said.

The birds have even attacked cars as they are driven onto the forecourt at Cotswold Motor Group, MPs heard.

And they heard claims the gulls' acidic droppings could corrode paintwork unless swiftly cleaned off.

The owners of Cotswold Motor Group, in Cole Avenue, were so fed up with the feathered menaces they considered relocating, MPs heard.

The plight of the firm and other businesses was raised during a parliamentary debate by Gloucester MP Parmjit Dhanda.

He told ministers there were around 2,800 breeding pairs of seagulls in the city which thrive on readily-available food, an abundance of rooftop nesting sites and a lack of natural predators.

Mr Dhanda said: "This is a growing and serious problem."

Seagulls can have wingspans of more than four feet and can 'dive-bomb' at 40mph.

Mr Dhanda said: "We are seeing far more aggressive behaviour from these gulls.

"More and more we are seeing these birds becoming bolder in their activity."

There are believed to be two colonies of seagulls in Gloucester – at the tip and also near Bristol Road.

"There are a number of businesses that have been in touch with me," said Mr Dhanda.

He urged ministers to fund research, to give a greater understanding of the birds' habits, and tackling the problem.

He said: "I don't want Cotswold Motor Group or other businesses moving away.

"I am not calling for culls either but we need to know what we can do to restrict the size of these populations."

Large sums have been spent trying to combat the problem, from removing and oiling gulls' eggs to installing netting and using birds of prey, but numbers continue to rise.

Rural Affairs Minister Dan Norris pointed out there was an obligation to conserve wild bird populations, and some species of gulls were in decline.

Tackling sources of food and available habitat was the long- term solution, he insisted.

Mr Norris added: "I don't think further research is necessary. My officials do feel we have a lot of information about gull behaviour."