Eggs will be taken out of nests by Moray Council in a bid to stop gulls nesting on roofs at Pilmuir Primary School in Forres, and the surrounding area.
A map shows the area to be targeted in the one-year pilot project costing close to £5000.
Forres councillor George Alexander hopes the “costly short-term solution will remind residents they do not have to live with the scourge of marauding gulls”.
But he says the problem will go on unless locals work collectively by putting up their own netting or roof gull prevention spikes, and ensure no food scraps are left lying around.
The scheme is being funded by Moray Council, the Forres Common Good Fund, and AJ Engineering firm, which is playing the lion’s share.
An earlier project launched in neighbouring Elgin 2019, to remove nests and eggs from homes, is being extended there.
Lasers were also used after a seagull was spotted flying round Elgin with an arrow stuck in its head.
And a pensioner suffered a cut to his head after a hungry gull scraped him with its claw while he was taking his shopping out of his car.
Mr Alexander says: “I’ve witnessed an incident at the bus station in Elgin where a chap put a sandwich to his mouth and the seagull’s beak passed between his lips and the sandwich and it went off with half the sandwich. It was quite incredible to witness and the thought of that sort of thing happening to a young kid is quite scary.”
He adds: “The main aim of this is to give people in the Pilmuir area of Forres some respite from the gulls. But also, it’s to persuade them that the only way to stop this is to put up something where the gulls are nesting to stop them.
“This is very much a one-off trial, in a limited area, which aims to remind residents and property owners in the area that they do not have to live with the scourge of marauding gulls every year.
“Clearing nests and eggs is not a long-term solution. It is a short-term solution and the costs are prohibitive.”
Fellow Forres councillor Lorna Creswell also hopes trial will show residents “the potential to improve things”.
Licence agreements do not allow for hatched chicks or adult gulls to be removed.
Residents should therefore call the council’s specialist vermin control on 07564 768581 when they see nests being made.
Alternatively, a booking form is available at Moray Council’s website.
This should be emailed to gulls.svc@gmail.com