'Angry Birds' gull deterrents stolen in Rhyl

Seagulls think the Angry Birds-type balloons are predators and stay away, Denbighshire council says

'Angry Birds' balloons being used to scare off a Denbighshire town's seagulls are also being taken by passersby, the county council has said.

Inflatables resembling characters from the popular game have been deployed to ward off nuisance gulls that cause mess in Rhyl during the warmer months.

Firms using the balloons say they keep gulls from street level.

But the council says they are now being removed by people "who take a fancy to them".

Angry Birds, which was created in Finland, is hugely popular with millions of people playing the game on smart phones, tablets, computers and games consoles.

Denbighshire council said a raptor-style kite it flew over Rhyl's streets to deter gulls last year had "worked well" but kept getting tangled on a post. And now its latest deterrent is also encountering problems.

"Yes, we know these weird 'Angry Bird'-type scare balloons look a bit daft but they do seem to work," says a council spokesperson.

"The only problem is that, while they may scare the seagulls away, not so for people who take a fancy to them and take them home with them."