People are being reminded not to feed the seagulls, ahead of the return of outdoor dining.

Pest control service Rentokil claims the birds can be “a real nuisance” and has recorded a 50% surge in bird control callouts.

Birdwatch Ireland spokesperson Niall Hatch told Newstalk that if people keep feeding the gulls, they can become persistent and cause problems.

“It is only a small minority of gulls doing this but it is learned behaviour because of the way humans have treated them,” he said.

“So, just to reiterate it is really important that people don’t feed gulls. Don’t be tempted to throw them the end of your sandwich or throw them your chips.”

He said the destruction of Ireland’s marine ecosystems is forcing more gulls to scavenge.

“Gulls in some areas are tending to try and rely on humans more for food,” he said.

“I think it is very important that people don’t feed gulls when they encounter them because they can be large and aggressive.

“It is also clear that what is happening is there has been a breakdown in our marine ecosystem in many cases.

“There is rampant overfishing in Ireland and there is a degradation of our marine environment and the birds are finding it hard to find food in other areas.”