Soho street plagued with ‘aggressive’ seagulls which attacked a woman and a dog

By Hannah Neary, Local Democracy Reporter

Londoners want killer seagulls evicted after a woman and little dog were attacked on a busy Soho street.

Berwick Street has been plagued by seagulls and something needs to be done to protect residents and animals, locals say.

Westminster City council has been urged to take acton after a woman was attacked on the roof of her home at Kemp House, a large apartment building at the end of the street.

Traders on the street revealed they had seen a series of attacks by seagulls on by-passers and small dogs, and even pigeons.

Local trader Keith, who runs Soho Dairy, claimed seagulls became aggressive after attempts to move a nest at Kemp House.

He said: “It didn’t start well because one of the residents there came out and moved the chicks and put them in a flower pot.

“From that point forward they were quite aggressive. Quite rightly so.”

Keith’s business partner Robin said the attacks began early on in the pandemic, when seagulls flocked to the area looking for food.

He said: “Seaside Soho is what we called it in the pandemic, when you had all the seagulls and al-fresco dining.

“They attacked dogs. You see seagulls come down repeatedly and stab a pigeon in the side and kill them. We could do without that bit.

“I feel for them. It’s not nice being attacked by seagulls but some people may be provoking them. They have got a right to be here.”

The attack at Kemp House has prompted calls for Westminster City council to tackle the issue.

The council’s Labour group said in a newsletter: “After a Berwick Street resident was attacked by a seagull recently, we have asked the housing team to investigate the seagull nests at the top of Kemp House.”

A man who lives at Kemp House, who did not wish to be named, said residents had waited years for a roof garden to be built on top of the block and it finally opened last spring. And a few weeks later the attacks began.

He added: “The roof garden was a real asset that residents were waiting years for but then it was unusable. It’s been a disaster. We were finally told we could use it. We had it for about four weeks but then three babies were there and that was that.”

He said the attacks have died down since the spring but it is unknown if the seagulls will return this nesting season. The resident added: “The problem is the prospect of what will happen this summer.

“The gulls were attacking people on the ground level and they also attacked someone with a little dog. They do need something to fix it.”

Soho resident Giles, who lives near Berwick Street, regularly visited the spot during his lockdown walks and saw the seagulls looking for food.

He added: “I can’t see them from where I live but we still hear them squawking away. There was once an issue with them at a nearby fish restaurant. They would come down like hawks.”

Berwick Street is an iconic spot in the heart of Soho brimming with historic pubs and market traders.

In the 90s, it was known as the “Golden Mile” of vinyl and was pictured on the album cover for Oasis’ (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, with Kemp House visible in the background.

Quoted in the Labour Group’s newsletter, the council’s housing team said: “Seagulls are a protective species and we are not allowed to interfere with the breeding process.

“Once the gulls had left, we arranged for our bird and pest control contractors to visit Kemp House to provide us with options to reduce the seagulls returning.

“This inspection took place in September, and spikes were installed. A further visit was carried out on January 12 and it was recommended that netting is installed as a further deterrent.”

Councillor David Harvey, Westminster City council Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “I’m very sorry to hear about this unfortunate incident, which is pretty rare in London although much more common in coastal towns, and I hope the resident wasn’t injured.

“Seagulls are indeed a protected species and it is illegal to interfere with nests during the breeding season and immediately after hatching.

“Our Housing Team took appropriate action as soon as they were allowed to, to ensure that the birds do not return to the site. We are also looking at putting in other measures to reduce the chances of this happening again.”

Pictured top: Keith, Giles and Robin at Soho Dairy (image: Hannah Neary)