'Birds drowning' in Brighton War Memorial Fountain

Justin King says he has “saved” two dozen birds from the Old Steine War Memorial in Brighton this year alone.

He says the birds are getting stuck in the water and need to be pulled out by volunteers.

Brighton and Hove city council says it has already tried several ways to stop birds from entering the water, including introducing netting, which was removed by protesters, and bird scarers, which were vandalised.

Volunteers say they are having to rescue the gulls from the fountain

But Mr King believes officials must install ramps to allow birds to get in and out - something the council said would be “inappropriate for a classically designed war memorial”.

Mr King said: “It’s been an ongoing, long-running and fruitless battle to get them to do something about the situation over the last three years.

“There’s no stepping stones or ramps and it’s left up to volunteers getting them out when they see them.

“My blood is boiling.

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“I’m going to go and find some scaffolding and go down there myself to put it in.”

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said the city council contacted it for advice following reports that juvenile gulls were drowning.

“The council had drained the water to prevent further incidents until the birds were old enough to get out,” an RSPB spokeswoman said.

The council says it has tried measures to stop the birds from getting in the fountain

“We advised that a ramp or some shallower areas be installed if refilled to help any young birds who might struggle in future.”

A council spokesman said “We have already tried several ways to discourage the birds from entering the water, including installing netting, which was removed by protestors, and bird scarers, which were vandalised.

“We have also looked into the idea of installing ramps and boulders but have been advised that this would be inappropriate for a classically designed war memorial.

“We contacted the RSPB and RSPCA for their advice on how we can help prevent the drowning of the fledglings.

“The RSPB have advised that, as the area becomes busy with adult gulls, there will be other factors that have led to the death of fledglings such as conflict with other birds.”