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A falcon and a hawk are being used to keep gulls off the roof of South Shields’s new £21m transport interchange building as a “humane and a permitted method” of dealing with the problem.
Nexus, which runs Metro services at the town centre interchange, has employed the birds of prey through a specialist firm to prevent seagulls from claiming it as their territory and starting to create nests there.
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Hide AdNexus’s customer services director, Huw Lewis, said: “With gulls being a protected species the bird of prey was the best option for us to address this problem.
“We need to stop the gulls from nesting on the roof of the new interchange building as that can create a lot of damage if it’s allowed to happen and then it isn’t dealt with.
“A specialist firm is coming in a few times a year with the falcon and the hawk to keep the gulls away from the building.
“This is a humane and a permitted method for dealing with this issue.”
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Hide AdSouth Shields’ new transport interchange was opened in August of last year, bringing the waiting facilities for local bus and Metro services under one roof at a modern new facility.
Its arrival was a major milestone in the ongoing £100m South Shields 365 regeneration masterplan being delivered by South Tyneside Council and partner Muse Developments.