PEOPLE in Bridgwater are being reminded to leave their rubbish out on the morning of collection to stop the scourge of seagulls.

The Mercury has received complaints from readers about seagulls fouling in the town centre and spreading rubbish by tearing up bin bags.

One reader said the problem was particularly bad in St John Street last Thursday.

Sedgemoor District Council said around 100 bin bags had been left out after their scheduled pick-up in the St John Street, Polden Street and Edward Street areas, and its Clean Surroundings team had to clean up the resulting mess.

The council says problems are also caused by people leaving their rubbish out the night before its scheduled pick-up.

A spokesman said: “Our advice is not to put your rubbish out until the day it's collected. If you leave it for longer, this is the kind of thing that happens.”

Alan Hurford, clerk to Bridgwater Town Council, also discouraged people from feeding seagulls by the River Parrett.

He said: “We fully accept it's a problem. We contribute towards cleaning in the town centre and have contributed to additional power washes in the past.

“We support any action taken by the district council to solve this problem.”