We are among those who are becoming distressed by the presence of these aggressive avian thugs.

Earlier this week we found that the gulls had nested outside our kitchen roof. The smell is so appalling and the mess so unhygienic that we dare not open the window.

On Monday we took our son and his wife for a walk along the Embankment with their four-month-old baby. While ­sitting on a bench for a break, a gull swooped and stole our son’s breakfast bun, just a few feet away from the baby. Not only that, the gull would then not go away – it obviously felt the bun was its entitlement.

Compare this with some weeks ago when we were on a classic car tour in Normandy. Coastal spots we visited were Honfleur and Deauville. Both of these towns are similar to Dartmouth, both relying on a reduced fishing fleet and tourism. The big difference was the lack of gulls and thus their problems. Can anyone tell

us why this very noticeable ­difference exists?

Ivor Jauncey

Lake Street

Dartmouth