Stroud plastics firm has the answer to airborne noise and pollution plague

"So far we have sold more than 12,000 eggs and we're getting more and more enquiries and orders" says Emma Crowley of Paul Norman Plastics. "We've even had our first order from overseas, from a council in the Netherlands."

During the breeding season, which runs from April to August, pest control officers visit the roofs where the gulls are nesting and replace the real eggs with dummy ones in as many nests as possible. The gulls accept the substitutes in place of the real eggs and try to incubate them, not realising that they will never hatch.

The gulls typically incubate the eggs for twice as long as they normally would before abandoning the nest. While they continue to sit on the fake eggs they do not cause a nuisance as they would if chicks were present.

The company is continuing to develop the imitation eggs, which sell for £1.25 each, and new prototypes are being tested this year. Shape and weight are more important than colour, as the birds seem not to worry about the exact shade and pattern. This year the weight has been increased (to 60 grams), following the discovery that strong winds were blowing some of them out of the nest. Councils can save money by recovering most of the eggs at the end of the summer and using them again the following season.

Following the success of the gulls' eggs, the company has also begun production of an imitation chicken egg. One commercial chicken farmer ordered 200 of them - to encourage his free-range hens to lay in the right places.

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Note:

Further scientific studies are taking place to further prove the effectiveness of the eggs. Simon is continuing his research in the form of a PhD and his research notes can be followed at www.urbanseagullcontrol.co.uk.