Screeching seagulls are terrorising an Archway neighbourhood – and there’s nothing neighbours can do about it.

Islington Gazette: Seagulls in St John's Grove (Picture: Polly Hancock)Seagulls in St John's Grove (Picture: Polly Hancock) (Image: Archant)

Sleep-deprived tenants and homeowners in St John’s Grove are suffering at the hands of a colony of 40 gulls.

They reckon the population could grow out of control, and called on Islington Council to take action. But the authority’s hands are tied as seagulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Every day, at 4am on the dot, the seagulls produce a deafening din lasting for two hours. It forced Pam Hope to resort to sleeping tablets.

“It’s gone crazy,” she said. “One will start screeching and one by one, they will all chime in, until all of them are screaming at the top of their lungs. I went through a two-week period where I couldn’t sleep at all.

“I have never seen this before. They leave a lot of mess, as you can imagine. There was the embarrasing moment the other day when my mother-in-law got plopped on.

“It’s worrying because they might move on to neighbouring streets. I have seen baby seagulls and this could well get out of control if something isn’t done. There’s no deterrent at the moment – nothing to stop them.”

A neighbour added the seagulls have been gathering for the past two years. “It started with one,” she said, “and it has been multiplying ever since.”

And a builder said yesterday (Weds) the rooftops are littered with chicken bones picked up by the birds. But Cllr Claudia Webbe, Islington’s environment leader, said: “We sympathise with those affected by these nesting seagulls and the nuisance they cause, but we would not want these wild birds to suffer.

Islington Gazette: Seagulls in St John's Grove (Picture: Polly Hancock)Seagulls in St John's Grove (Picture: Polly Hancock) (Image: Archant)

“I have asked the council to visit the area, take action and make sure there is nothing attracting them like food deposits or open bins.

“We have to work within the law. Seagulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal for councils to capture, injure or destroy any wild bird, or interfere with its nest or eggs.”