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| Drones considered for Whitehaven gull problem | Drones considered for Whitehaven gull problem |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A council is considering using drones to tackle aggressive gulls which have snatched ice cream from children. | A council is considering using drones to tackle aggressive gulls which have snatched ice cream from children. |
| An eight-year-old boy in Whitehaven was left "traumatised" when a "seagull swooped down, took the ice cream out of his hand and off it went", Copeland Borough councillor Graham Roberts said. | An eight-year-old boy in Whitehaven was left "traumatised" when a "seagull swooped down, took the ice cream out of his hand and off it went", Copeland Borough councillor Graham Roberts said. |
| "Anybody with any food near their face could have their nose or eye pecked," he said. | "Anybody with any food near their face could have their nose or eye pecked," he said. |
| The drones spray nests with a chemical to stop eggs hatching. | |
| Mr Roberts said council bosses were concerned the gulls could deter tourists and hit the harbour town's hospitality businesses. | |
| He said: "Whitehaven's a lovely place to visit and we don't want incidents with seagulls to deter people from coming. | |
| "People don't want to be in fear of being attacked by seagulls." | |
| Spraying gull eggs by hand risks attack from the birds, Mr Roberts said. | |
| The use of Drones is one of a number of options being discussed by the council on 27 August. Other options include acoustic electronic devices and manual egg-treating. | |
| Mr Roberts added: "It's frightening. We've got to do something about it. | |
| "Drones have been used in France quite successfully as have acoustic devices which can also be effective. | |
| "The fact is we can't stand by while people are being hurt. As councillors we have to protect those we represent and people want action. | |
| "Depending on the cost of using drones I think it's very likely we will begin using them within the next six months to a year." |