A petition signed by more than 300 people upset about the noise and nuisance caused by seagulls is to be presented to Devizes Area Board on Monday.

Wiltshire councillor Laura Mayes started the petition earlier this year after people living in the Roundway area of the town complained.

Most of the seagulls have now left the area but Coun Mayes warned they will be back in spring to breed.

She said: “They are very efficient breeders and if we don’t do something now to put them off returning to their nesting sites the population could grow by 100 per cent a year.”

She said she had been speaking to a seagull expert, local businesses and town and parish councils to try to find a solution.

The birds are protected, so cannot be shot or poisoned, but Coun Mayes said there were ways of making rooftops less appealing for them to land and nest on. She said: “We aren’t going to be able to stop them altogether but if we can reduce their numbers by 20 per cent a year we will be achieving something.”

In addition to putting wire and other materials on the rooftops it could also be possible to stop their numbers multiplying by removing eggs from nests, which she said was allowed. Licences to control gulls have to be issued by Natural England.

Coun Mayes urged people worried about the problem to attend the area board meeting at the Corn Exchange, Devizes, at 6pm on Monday to show support for the petition. The board will be asked to agree to create a plan of action to reduce the seagull numbers.

If anyone still wants to sign the petition they can go to www.lauramayes.org