A COUNCILLOR has criticised plans to introduce more bins in Lyme Regis as part of a "seagull action plan".

Lyme Regis Town Council's town management committee agreed to move forward with proposals to tackle problems with the birds in the town - and has allocated £6,000 in next year's budget for the action plan.

Cllr Richard Doney discussed ideas used in east Devon to get rid of seagulls - and is hoping better signage and improved bins will be the answer.

He said: "The plan is focusing on educating the public and not harassing the seagulls.

"We are not going to go around shooting the seagulls or anything.

"The business group are more than prepared to help get the signs out into restaurants and get their members to cooperate. It is all about reinforcing the message."

Cllr Doney suggested that more bins were needed to cope with the amount of waste.

He added: "I genuinely think it is something we have got to do something about.

"There were a number of incidents last year, Candles on the Cobb being one, where bins just couldn't cope and there was rubbish everywhere."

But Cllr Daryl Turner argued the the current bins needed to be emptied more often.

"I have to confess that I think you are totally wrong," said Cllr Turner.

"There are enough bins. It is the frequency of emptying them that is the problem. You don't want additional bins all over the place when for nine tenths of the year, they are just going to be sitting there.

"I don't think additional bins is the answer - I think it's utilising what we have got."

If the plans go ahead, signs and publicity from East Devon District Council will be adapted for use in Lyme Regis, free of charge. It is likely that pupils from St Michael's Primary School will submit designs for posters - while stickers advising waste to be thrown away could be applied to take-away boxes.

Deputy mayor Cllr Michaela Ellis, said that organisations running stalls on the seafront during the summer need to take responsibility for their waste.

She said: "When we have got stalls down there, they need to take their rubbish away.

"There needs to be a condition on anyone hiring that area down there that they take away all their own rubbish and they do not use the public bins."