RESIDENTS who are plagued by seagulls and rubbish-strewn streets are getting the chance to have their say on tackling the problem.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council has been working with Park District residents to create ideas to clean up the area and a meeting will be held tomorrow.

Piles of stinking rubbish have plagued residents on bin days, as seagulls have been ripping open bags and scattering the contents.

People have complained about having to side step round rubbish on their way to work and school.

The borough says that many of the roads in the Park District are too narrow for wheeled bin collections to get down.

Waterside Weymouth Community Forum chairman Ken Whatley said he was pleased by the council plan.

He said: “Any move that the council makes to try and improve the area has got to be a good thing.”

The council is hoping the meeting will encourage residents to give their suggestions to the council’s waste and recycling team about how to clean up the area.

Coun Brendan Webster, the spokesman for environment and sustainability at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said: “I strongly encourage residents of the Park District who have concerns about littering issues to come and talk about options for the future.

“Some research has already been done by council officers to look at ways to solve the problem.

“But I am sure that there are many residents out there who have their own ideas.”

But some residents have said they are disappointed by the level of response from those living in the area.

Ranelagh Road resident Dave Burchill said: “Only a very few people out of the Park District have shown an interest in attending the meeting.

“We do have a community newsletter that we send round to tell people what steps to take with the rubbish, like spraying it with furniture polish, anything to take the smell off and deter the birds.

“The most common problem though is the seagulls.

“Without them we wouldn’t have one tenth of the problem.”

One suggestion that had been put forward by residents was to put communal bins at the end of each street, but concerns had been raised about how these would be paid for and maintained.

The meeting will be held tomorrow at 5pm at the Council Offices, North Quay.

Anyone wishing to attend should call Amy Maslin at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council on 01305 838302 or email amymaslin@weymouth.gov.uk.