Cardiff Council plans to cut the city's gull population

There are an estimated 2,727 breeding pairs of gulls in Cardiff and the city's council is concerned the colonies of the birds are noisy and could pose health risks.

In an effort to reduce the number of seagulls in the city, the council is considering adopting a gull sterilisation service to cut the gull population at source.

The intention is to lower the amount of birds inhabiting the city Cardiff Council spokeswoman

Cardiff Council's environmental scrutiny committee will discuss the plans, which have already been approved by the council's executive board, on Monday.

A spokeswoman for Cardiff council, said: "The intention is to lower the amount of birds inhabiting the city.

"Following successful experiments in other parts of the country, the executive wants to sterilise gulls' eggs using a sealant."

The method would involve coating the gull eggs in oil which would prevent the development of the embryo.

Members of the public or businesses affected by gulls will be charged for the service, if the plans are adopted.

Gull experts are due to attend the meeting, which is also open to the public.

Similar experiments conducted in Bath and Felixstowe led to a reduction in nuisance from seagulls.