A new campaign has been set up in Largs in an attempt to stop the seagull menace.

Visitors and locals will be urged not to feed the seagulls, after a young boy was injured while eating food on the seafront last month.

Jane Wilson was concerned when her friend’s son was attacked by a gull on the prom and decided she wanted to try to raise awareness of the problem.

The purpose of the campaign is to educate people, and Jane hopes the project will have a similar success to the ‘No Poo on my Shoe’ campaign from a few years back, which encouraged people to clean up after their dogs.

The Largs News has teamed up with Jane to get the message across.

Jane has alerted Largs Community Council to the issue, and is meeting with their environmental sub-committee this week to discuss what can be done.

She is asking for ‘News’ readers to provide her with details of seagull attacks on the prom to build up an evidence-led campaign to help raise awareness of the problem.

Speaking to the ‘News’, she said: “I am not saying it is necessarily daytrippers who are causing the problem; we are wanting them to come to Largs as this is what makes the town great, but I think by launching this campaign ‘Don’t feed the Seagulls’, we will have more people coming into the town and using our services, buying food and having a great time.

“We have great events like Largs Live and the Food Fest and all sorts of things happening like car boot sales and craft fayres.

"We have lots to offer families who are coming to visit. However, if a child gets attacked when eating an ice cream cone, they are not going to come back.

Jane, who is originally from Montreal in Canada, said: “I have lived in Largs for nine years, and my children and I have single-handedly campaigned with people outside our house at Aubery Crescent, telling them not to feed the seagulls. They sit on top of our house, and then they swoop down on to the prom to snatch chips from people. We can’t sit out in the front garden because of the problem sometimes.” “My friend’s son was eating an ice cream cone on the prom when he was attacked and suffered injury. This prompted me to set up a Facebook page encouraging others not to feed the seagulls, and we have had a great response so far.” Jane would like to see prominent posters in the town to try and encourage visitors not to feed the seagulls, and is hoping to encourage local businesses to support the initiative.

See video interview below with campaigners Michael Monkhouse and Jane Wilson...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2tY4J8Qdjo