BY HANNAH GRAHAM

A new proposal could result in people being fined if they feed seagulls.

West Dorset District Council is creating a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) - which includes dog controls, anti-social behaviour and feeding seagulls.

The new order would replace the current rules and it is being planned to be in place by the end of this year.

The proposal will need the agreement of the full council before being put into action. In a report to the committee, team leader for public health, Jane Williams, apparently said: “Seagull behaviour has increasingly been cited as aggressive, noisy and risks the public safety through ‘attacks’ to acquire food.

"Gulls can be noisy, aggressive and intrusive where food is made readily available. By reducing this availability we are urging them to return to more natural feeding habits, and encouraging human use of open spaces.”

This comes after a number of incidents in the local area, including a seagull being shot and later dying at the hands of an air rifle.

Incidents like this are becoming more frequent, so it’s important to protect the birds and people by putting rules like this in place