A BIRD sanctuary hit back at comments made by the Barrow MP John Woodcock calling for contraception to curb seagull 'attacks'.

The MP suggested seagulls should be given special feed to stop them reproducing following a number of incident involving 'urban menace' seagulls in the town.

Bardsea Bird Sanctuary hit back at the calls from Mr Woodcock, saying: "You're right John they are the menace.

"They are kicking people to death and running them down in cars.

"I once saw a full throw a human into a wind turbine on Tesco car park. "I think it maybe time you move on John you just gave a massive thumbs up to the dross that have been shooting kicking and running down these birds. Nice click bait."

A 74-year-old woman in Barrow last month said she was left bleeding after a gull came at her while she was in her kitchen, describing it as 'like a horror movie'.

Councillor Helen Wall, Barrow Council's spokesman for wildlife, said the town was facing 'a siege' from the gulls and suggested litter problems were bringing more of them in.

Bardsea Bird Sanctuary co-owner Elizabeth Ashleigh said the town was a 'hotbed of wildlife cruelty' after a seagull was kicked in the head shortly after.

John Woodcock said: “We have got to find a way to stop these nests and gulls planting nests on the roofs of houses.

“We don’t want this situation where people are terrorised going into their houses, hospitals and schools. It’s a dreadful situation.”

Mr Woodcock has also suggested the gulls have their eggs replaced with fake ones, in order curb numbers.

The latest figures showed the number of seagulls nationally has quadrupled in the first 15 years of this century.

All species of gull are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985.

This makes it illegal to intentionally or, in Scotland and Northern Ireland, recklessly injure or kill any gull or damage or destroy an active nest or its contents.