Liverpool residents terrified to leave homes as 'XL Gullies' unleash aerial attacks

Residents living on a Liverpool housing estate say they're being repeatedly attacked by "massive" seagullsdivebombing them as they step outside their homes.

The white birds have hatched chicks on the rooftops of Mahon Court in the city's Georgian Quarter, and residents say the "XL Gullies" now swoop into the square most days to protect their young in the grassy area below. While some locals are left rattled, others see it as nature simply taking its course. "It's nesting season at the moment. Every day, they're coming down," said one resident, who asked not to be named. "They're attacking the dog, they're attacking us. I've just been out with the dog just now and one of them just flew down and attacked us.

"They're ripping the bins open and dragging the kids everywhere. It's a hellhole. We call them XL Gullies," the local told the Liverpool Echo. "I've lived here for eight years. We're terrified. They fly at you and come very low down, literally centimetres away from us."

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Resident Akbar Hhorbani, 60, said the seagulls "go out and attack us when we leave the house". He added: "It's scary. It happens all the time."

But Kieran Robertson, 59, was more relaxed about the situation. He said: "It does happen but it's just nature isn't it? They're only coming down to protect their little uns. They use their poo as dive bombs. It happened to me when I was out walking my dog this morning. I've told my neighbours to get a water bottle and make a small hole in the top of it to squirt at the seagulls.

"I tried to do that this morning but the bottle fell out of my hand. But I don't see what Sanctuary could do. With rats, they've put down some poison. I don't know what they could do with the seagulls. Once, I saw a few people here holding chicks. I told them about an animal sanctuary over the water which would take them in."

Another resident said: "I can see why people are scared but it's not that big a deal. You do get seagulls here because they're on the roof and have had chicks. I don't see what Sanctuary could do. It's just part of nature. You get them all around the place."

Locals and street cleaners say the rise in litter, rubbish and dumped food in the city centre is fuelling the problem - creating the perfect environment for the super-seagulls to thrive. Cleaners say the gulls are becoming more aggressive and are pushing further inland, rampaging through bins and waste, and hampering clean-up efforts.

To tackle the issue, Liverpool City Council has brought in Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE) to operate city-wide. The move means more officers on the ground to help curb environmental offences and issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to anyone caught littering.

Under the law in England, littering, dog fouling and fly-tipping are all offences that can result in a FPN or prosecution in court. As part of the crackdown, Liverpool Council has also increased fines to deter offending. Litterers now face a £150 penalty, dog foulers £100, and fly-tippers face a new tiered fine system starting at £500 depending on the severity of the offence.

The Mirror has contacted Sanctuary Housing, which manages Mahon Court, for comment.