July 2017
A group of seagulls were deliberately run over by a motorist in Minehead town centre in the early hours of Friday 7th July 2017.
The seagulls had been eating out of black refuse bags left on the street by a local resident when a driver in a small red car drove straight into them, neglecting to brake or swerve to avoid the birds instead ploughing straight through the middle of them.
The initial group of birds was around 20 strong, many flew off and were able to avoid being hit, but around half a dozen failed to get away in time.
Some of the seagulls were killed outright, but at least two were left severely injured as can be seen from the photograph provided by a local resident who was at the scene shortly after the incident.
The attack on the sea gulls provoked a huge response on social media, many people horrified at such cruelty, but a shocking number of residents who not only saw it as acceptable but openly celebrated the vicious act on the birds.
Seagulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, we reported the incident to the police and were surprised to see a swift response and assurances from the local wildlife crime officer that he would investigate and take necessary action.
Despite the wide availability of CCTV both in the town and local shops, the police were unable to find the registration plate of the red car, and no local resident was forth coming with the identification of the person responsible, even with a £100 cash reward being put forward by Somerset Wildlife Crime.
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