And those are in addition to the dozens of complaints of noise pollution and aggressive behaviour against pedestrians and staff at businesses and public places throughout the town.

The question of the seagull problem, and what is being done by Fife Council to address it, was raised at a meeting of the Kirkcaldy area committee last week by David Henderson of Townsend Crescent, in response to the many complaints made by neighbours and residents from all over the town.

Mr Henderson told The Press: "Hardly a day goes by without someone telling me of another attack by gulls and it appears to be getting worse and worse.

"People just don't feel safe in certain parts of the town during nesting season and when the chicks have just hatched."

His views were echoed by Bob Smart of Stanley Park in Kirkcaldy who said residents in his block of flats were being constantly dive-bombed by gulls.

"I bowl at the Victoria Bowling Green on Victoria Gardens, and I have lost count of the number of games which have had to be stopped while the seagulls are chased away.

"I also have a relative in the sheltered housing at Rosebery Court, and the warden there was telling me that the residents often can't sit out in the communal garden areas because of the aggressive behaviour of the birds."

A member of staff at the Equipet Veterinary Hospital in Nicol Street said she and her colleagues were often attacked by gulls as they walked from the car park into their building, and builders working on the flats off Forth Avenue reported being swooped on by the gulls as they tried to go about their daily work.

Other problems have been reported from Kirkcaldy bus station, the High Street and the police station where pairs of nesting birds return year after year to build their nests.

Fife Council's environment team leader, Elaine Devine, said the authority was doing what it could within the law to combat the problem.
"We have had an increasing number of complaints about gulls and the problems they are causing with noise, mess and aggressive behaviour, but we are limited in what we can do.

"A lot of the work we are doing is centred around litter and waste disposal and we are talking to local businesses about how they dispose of their rubbish, looking at what bins are being used, and where bins cannot be used and sacks have to be, we are encouraging people to leave them until the latest possible time to put them out, so that the gulls don't have the chance to get into them.

"At our two landfill sites in Ladybank and Dunfermline we do use hawks to scare the gulls away, but this is a very expensive option, and it does not work well in built-up areas.

"We are encouraging private householders to take action by putting up spikes or chimney hoods to stop them building nests, and doing the same in council properties which are affected.

"We would urge people not to feed the birds and to ensure that they dispose of rubbish correctly - a kebab thrown away at 2 a.m. is destined to become a gull's breakfast, and if they have a food supply then they are likely to return again and again.

"We will also be keeping a close eye on what is happening in Dumfries and Galloway where a government task force has been set up to look at the problem and the best way of dealing with it."