South Shields Interchange protected from gulls by birds of prey

The birds of prey will be brought to South Shields to fly over the building and scare off gulls

Birds of prey are being used to stop gulls nesting on a new £21m transport interchange.

Tyne and Wear Metro operator Nexus said a falcon and a hawk were keeping gulls off the roof of the building in South Shields.

A spokesman said the birds would be used a few times a year to prevent gulls causing damage.

He said they do not kill the gulls and there was a handler with them as they flew over the roof for about an hour.

Nexus customer services director Huw Lewis said a bird-handling firm was being used.

'Permitted method'

He said: "This is being done to prevent the seagulls from claiming it as their territory and starting to create nests there.

"With gulls being a protected species the bird of prey was the best option for us to address this problem.

"We need to stop the gulls from nesting on the roof as that can create a lot of damage if it's allowed to happen and then it isn't dealt with.

"This is a humane and a permitted method for dealing with this issue."

South Shields' Transport Interchange opened in August 2019, bringing the waiting facilities for local bus and Metro services under one roof in a modern new facility.