Another anti-seagull tactic which failed was towing rubbish-filled boats out to sea to lure them. And in the ever-more imaginative drive to curb the birds, a football club painted the roof of its stadium red to successfully deter them.
Weighed against such methods are the seagulls' remarkable adaptability and capacity for problem-solving.
"These birds are very intelligent, very quick to cotton on to new opportunities," said RSPB spokesman Graham Madge. "We need long-term solutions."
One municipal authority in southwestern England has set up a special Web site to educate the public about the problem, but is wary about radical solutions for safety reasons.
"If birds of prey are dive-bombing in the streets, they could kill themselves," said South Hams environmental health officer Kate Eveleigh. "And if people are climbing on to roofs for culls, there are obvious safety concerns there too."
Meanwhile, the menace of seagulls, who generally weigh about 1kg, have wingspans of some 1.5m and can dive bomb at 64kph, grows.
"There are various stages the seagull uses when it is upset. If you don't heed the first ones -- cries, low passes, defecating -- they will come in at high speed and rake you with their feet on the back of the head," said Rock, a veteran of such attacks during his research. "It usually draws blood."
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