Denise Smith, of Lower Meadow Rise, Dawlish, writes:

Well done David Potter of Teignmouth for voicing the concerns of many a local resident. The seagull population of Dawlish is also out of control and having just walked along the sea wall it seems there are now more of the pesky things inland than on the coast.

The holidaymakers who visit our seaside towns are ignorant of the mayhem caused by feeding the gulls and seem to find it a good wheeze. In this time of health and safety regulations affecting almost every aspect of our lives, it is high time that this particular hazard was highlighted and dealt with.

I live in an area where, year after year, seagulls return to their nesting sites – on roofs of nearby houses. Most pairs raise two, if not three, chicks per year and they all return to the same sites the following year to nest. Nests cause a great deal of damage to roof tiles as liquid effluent eventually soaks through; I wonder if those who allow their roofs to be nesting sites realise this.

Above all, it is the danger to life and limb once the chicks are mobile which is the overwhelming cause for concern. Having been born and raised in Dawlish over the last 50-odd years, I have never known there to be such an abundance of the dirty and dangerous creatures. Must we wait until there is a real tragedy – an injured child, or the loss of an eye – until something is done?MORE LETTERS IN OUR ONLINE EDITION