Herefordshire Council says businesses and flat owners who disregard their advice to prevent rubbish being targeted by seagulls will be fined.
Officers have already given fixed penalty and enforcement notices to some property owners in Hereford for failing to use the appropriate refuse sacks.
The council has been providing seagull-proof rubbish bags to residents to prevent the birds from ripping open normal plastic bags and causing a mess.
But the problem returned last week and birds we pictured feasting on rubbish strewn across Union Street in Hereford.
The council’s housing, regulatory and community safety cabinet member Ange Tyler said officers have been working to enforce the use of adequate bags.
“Our community protection officers also monitor the situation regularly and had already issued fixed penalty notices and an enforcement notice on those businesses and flats who disregarded our advice and who did not prevent their waste being attacked by seagulls,” she said.
“We will continue to work with local residents and businesses to avoid littering and present our city as a safe, clean and enjoyable place to live, work and shop, but will come down hard on those businesses and residents who choose to ignore our advice and allow their waste to be attacked by gulls.”
She said the council has been working with the Hereford Business Improvement District and city council to tackle the issue of seagulls disturbing waste.
“The implications this has on the cleanliness of our City’s streets for a number of years now,” she said.
“The council therefore provides seagull-proof waste sacks for our own waste collection customers and also for those who choose to use private waste collection companies, although it is clear that several premises along Union Street ignored this advice last week.
“Where our waste collection customers do not use seagull-proof sacks, our collection contractors tidy any mess in the immediate vicinity of sacks which have been disturbed and our partners, Balfour Beatty Living Places, empty litter bins and clear litter across the city each morning.”
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