Brighton Council to turn off Victoria Fountain over seagull fears

Brighton and Hove City Council will periodically pause cascading water from Victoria Fountain over fears that the gulls could drown due to their wings being wet.

A bird rescuer shared concerns that the water from the fountain had become a "death trap" for birds which went to cool off.

Justin King, 51, said he had rescued more than 30 birds from the fountain during the current heatwave.

Councillor Mitchie Alexander, acting Cabinet member for Culture, Heritage and Tourism, said: “We are concerned over reports of fledging gulls experiencing problems in the Victoria Fountain and are acting fast to take steps to reduce any risk to the birds.

“We have amended the fountain’s operating times to include regular periods where the cascading water is switched off, allowing the gulls’ wings to dry so they can fly off and will now monitor the situation and see what impact this has.

Seagulls in Victoria Fountain (Image: The Argus)

“While we are committed to protecting the city’s heritage and allowing residents and visitors to continue to enjoy this much-loved fountain, we will look to reduce any risk to gulls as much as is practically possible.

“We would also politely remind residents of the RSPB’s advice not to feed gulls, particularly close to the fountain, and would strongly recommend members of the public do not risk their own safety by entering the fountain to try and remove birds.”

The fountain was becoming dangerous for seagulls as the falling water would saturate their wings too much, leading them to fall into the basin.

Herring Gulls such as those found in Brighton are considered endangered and are on the UK Conservation red list.

Victoria Fountain had previously been turned off for a number of years from 2020 due to long-standing restoration works which saw it removed from the Old Steine for some time.