FIVE seagulls were left strewn across a street in Minehead after being killed in uncertain circumstances.

Police are now investigating the incident in which the seagulls and assorted rubbish were scattered across Friday Street at around 6am on Tuesday morning.

One passer-by described the scene as 'carnage'.

James Hood, 45, took this photo and shared it on social media, prompting outrage about the way the gulls had been killed, the way the occupants had left their black sacks and the nuisance of gulls in the town.

Mr Hood said: “One of the gulls was still alive as I drove past the carnage, I guess a large vehicle must have hit them but I am not sure.

“Many people have commented how the rubbish bags are a nightmare. As soon as the bags are out they are attacked by seagulls.”

A spokesman from Avon and Somerset Police said: “We can confirm a report of dead seagulls in Friday Street. 

“It is an offence to harm or kill seagulls under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. We are looking to establish the circumstances in which the seagulls died. 

“If anyone has any information regarding the seagulls please call 101 quoting reference number 5217 157 693.” 

Holly Mclaren, who was among the residents who put out the bags out, said they had no option but to put the bags out loose as there was nowhere to place wheelie-bins.

“We have nowhere to put our bin bags, we have to keep two weeks’ worth of rubbish in our flat and we have an 18 month old. It’s disgusting,” she said.

Another resident who put the bags out, Rebecca Whitewick, said: “Myself, my four children, our cat and chihuahua, live in one of the flats above a shop in Friday Street.

“The rubbish was already a nightmare when it was weekly collection. Imagine that, approximately 42 nappies sitting in your house all week. Especially in the summer when it’s warm.”

Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) said all residents had the same frequency of collections but were happy to discuss problems with residents.

An SWP spokesman said: “Wheeled bins are clearly difficult if not impossible for flats unless they have a storage area, ideally downstairs, which these flats appear to lack and thus they have always used black sacks for their rubbish collections. 

“We would be keen to see if wheeled bins are an option for some flats, if they have suitable storage. Of course, wheeled bins should never be left out on the pavement except when a collection is due that day, as that can create obstructions and pose risks for pedestrians and road users.

“The same letters offered every household a free fold-flat, gull-proof bag for their black sack rubbish, precisely to help avoid the problems of pests.

"Around 80 letters were delivered in Friday Street to flats; three gull-proof bags were requested and delivered. If those in flats with black sack collections now wish to have gull-proof bags, they should contact Somerset Waste Partnership on or 01643 703704.”

West Somerset Council’s street cleaning team collected all the litter from the bags of rubbish, and the dead gulls, and this was sent to landfill.