A MINEHEAD businessman has threatened to withhold his business rates unless something is done to control the town's seagull population. Tony Payne, of Acare Leisure, said he was having to divert staff away from their normal duties to clean windows and stock as the birds regularly covered his Mart Road premises with droppings. He believed the gull population had increased in the last few years and said local authorities should use rate payments to fund a falconer to regularly visit the area to scare the birds away. "I pay thousands in rates and they're doing nothing which means the problem is getting worse and worse. "We're having to continually wash the camper vans as the droppings damage the paint. "I can't believe I'm the only business that's being affected and it's time something was done," Mr Payne said. But Graham Sizer, chairman of Minehead Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said no other businesses had complained about the birds. And he added: "They are a pest when it comes to seafront litter bins after a busy weekend, but it is, I'm afraid, the same in any seaside town." A spokesman for West Somerset Council said the authority had advice on its website to help people having problems with gulls in its A to Z section under the heading 'Pests'. "We do sometimes get approached by members of the public regarding nuisance caused by gulls and while were are not responsible for gulls or other wildlife, our environmental health team will give what advice they can. "But I am not aware that the problem in Minehead is any greater now than usual," the spokesman said. Photo: Paul Scullion

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