Residents were outraged to discover four gulls trapped in roof netting on the Aberystwyth Superdrug.

The netting is used to deter birds from landing or nesting on buildings, but rescuers say the netting was in poor condition, trapping them and killing two.

Despite flagging the issue with the store, it took two days to rescue the live gulls.

Staff at the store didn’t have access to the roof; the RSPCA said there was no one operating in the area, and the fire brigade attended the scene but deemed it too high-risk to intervene.

The damaged netting, and one of the dead birds found by the rescuer, Ryan.
The damaged netting, and one of the dead birds found by the rescuer, Ryan. (Ryan S)

Finally, a wildlife rescuer from a local Facebook group went up himself, discovering two dead gulls and two live trapped ones.

Gull rehabilitation expert Helen Fitzpatrick, who spotted the trapped gulls, said this incident is the tip of the iceberg: “For the last four years I’ve reported [the store] to the rural crime team for having dead gulls in their netting.

“I’m not getting at Superdrug staff; they don’t have the facilities to check the netting or take it down if it’s damaged.

“It happens all year, not just in nesting season; they become trapped if they land awkwardly or the netting isn’t intact.

Helen with Whitebeak - a gull she had to intensively hand rear due to a beak infection
Helen with Whitebeak - a gull she had to intensively hand rear due to a beak infection (Cambrian News)

“One of the gulls was found with its dead mate, and they mate for life.

“It’s a long and slow death for birds that get stuck in the netting, and on a scale bigger than people realise.

“Multiply the Superdrug roofs with all the netting in Aberystwyth, multiply that by every small town in the UK, every large town and every city.

“Birds are dying in their millions.”

She is calling for more awareness to be raised, for building owners to take responsibility in checking regularly and maintaining any deterrent netting properly.

Superdrug responded, stating they were fixing the netting and “exploring alternative options”.

Herring Gull chicks are spotty when young to blend into rocks in their natural habitat on beaches and coastal cliffs
Young gulls are most at risk of becoming trapped in deterrent netting, with incidents spiking during nesting season. (Cambrian News)

An RSPCA spokesperson said the incident was a reminder of the importance of building owners maintaining and monitoring deterrent netting, adding: “Birds can suffer a long and painful death from injury or starvation as unfortunately netting is often fixed in high or hard-to-reach areas, making the rescue of trapped animals difficult.

“Every year we receive a large number of reports about wild birds trapped in or behind netting, with a large number involving bird-deterrent netting.”

Herring Gulls are on the UK Red List for Birds of Conservation Concern due to ongoing population decline.

Whilst the netting itself is legal, it is an offence to deliberately hurt or kill wild birds, or damage their eggs or nests under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Earlier this year, a government petition was launched by concerned people calling for a ban on the netting, amassing 18,250 signatures.

If anyone spots locations where birds are regularly becoming trapped, forward the address, property owner details (if known), and incident date to [email protected].

Find out more about helping trapped birds in netting on the RSPCA website.

If you see birds trapped in netting, contact the RSPCA cruelty and advice helpline - 0300 1234 999.