FLOCKING seagulls could end up costing Cheltenham taxpayers £100,000 a year.

Pest control expert Phil Luker said the number of breeding pairs in the town is growing and needs to be controlled.

He says there are between 1,000 and 1,500 pairs, and this could rise unless measures are brought in to stop the migration.

Mr Luker, Rentokil's pest bird development manager for the south, tours town and city centres to offer advice on gull prevention to authorities.

"There are many problems associated with a high population of urban gulls," he said.

"They are very noisy at the break of dawn, leave a lot of bird splatter, will steal food in the open and can be quite aggressive around breeding season – swooping, pecking, defecating and vomiting on people.

"We're currently seeing a continuous rise in numbers across most towns and cities in the region. Some areas like Bath have reached capacity, with no more scope for gull population growth, but Cheltenham has a lot of potential for more."

Mr Luker estimated the potential scale of Cheltenham Borough Council's problem could cost it about £100,000 a year. This would be made up from removing nests, oiling eggs, gull-proofing buildings with nets and spikes, clearing up mess, and business costs.

The architecture is one of the main reasons the town is suffering, particularly the flat roofs on the Promenade, which make perfect nesting spots.

Rather than culling the birds or covering everything with netting, he said the solution lay elsewhere.

"The main issue with rising gull populations is the availability of food," said Mr Luker.

"Councils need to make sure all their bins have lids, encourage business to make sure they're careful with food and make sure landfill sites are as clear as possible.

"One main source of food for urban gulls is fast food debris strewn about the streets after busy nights like Friday and Saturday."

In July, St Paul's residents called for action to get rid of seagulls nesting on the top of Matalan in Swindon Road.

Melissa Buttigieg, who lives above the Hogshead in High Street, which she manages, said the problem is also rife in High Street.

"I've got some nesting on my roof and the noise they make is ridiculous," she said.

"It also makes carrying out maintenance above the pub very difficult. We're always getting attacked and they're scary animals when they're up close, very viscous."

Town centre manager Martin Quantock added: "I don't think they've become a big problem yet, but only the other day I was meeting someone in the Promenaded and we were distracted by them squawking away."

A council spokesman said it was unable to confirm whether or not the problem is getting worse or how much it costs to deal with.

But Coun Barbara Driver (C. Lansdown), who has campaigned for action on the birds, said: "They're becoming more of a problem and more expensive to deal with. The council, businesses and individual residents all need to work together more, particularly agreeing on measures to protect more roofs."