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City overrun by giant beefed-up seagulls branded 'XL Gullies' by locals

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People living in and visiting the city have told of their shock (Image: No credit)
People living in and visiting the city have told of their shock (Image: No credit)

Liverpool is being invaded by giant seagulls that locals have started calling "XL gullies".

These huge birds look as if they've been hitting the gym after feasting on dropped food and rubbish around the area. The gulls are flocking to the city to feast on the growing amount of discarded litter and food waste.

People living in and visiting the city have expressed their shock at coming face-to-face with the giant birds. Debbie O'Reilly said: "On Old Hall Street they take your food from you as soon as they see the Greggs bag. They come from nowhere, swoop and it's gone."

Phil Murphy commented: "It's the size of them that gets me. They're huge. Some of them are off the scale."

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City overrun by giant beefed-up seagulls branded 'XL Gullies' by localsLiverpool is now home to 'XL Gullies' (Getty Images)

Barry Jackson added: "They must go to the gym to be that size.", reports the Daily Star. Councillor Tom Crone, leader of Liverpool's Green Party, has urged people to be more mindful about their waste and asked locals and tourists not to drop their litter.

He said: "We are seeing how the populations of animals are changing because of human behaviour. The sheer volume of discarded takeaways we see now are just too good an opportunity for seagulls.

City overrun by giant beefed-up seagulls branded 'XL Gullies' by localsThe problem has been blamed on litter and food waste (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

"They are skilled, clever scavengers and the amount of litter and food thrown away is bringing them further in-land. The amount of food left around the city centre is clearly a driver of this behaviour.

"It would be great if people could be a little more mindful about how they are disposing of their litter. There are other issues too - like why we are allowing food companies to create so much disposable waste in the first place." Liverpool City Council has started a campaign asking people to do their bit in keeping the city tidy.

Will Stone

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