North Yorkshire County Council has defended its use of a gel on an iconic Scarborough bridge to deter nesting birds.

The move follows criticism the council received on social media during last weekend’s visit by Thor the Walrus and people saying the gel would make kittiwakes nesting in the bridge ‘homeless.’

However, the county council says bird excrement was damaging the listed Spa footbridge.

The council conducted an independent habitat regulations assessment and consulted Natural England. The assessment concluded that bird numbers were declining due to lack of food sources, primarily sandeels, not a lack of potential breeding sites.

Birds displaced from the bridge could fine alternative nesting sites nearby, including the Filey Coast Special Protection Area, 5km away, which is designated for supporting breeding kittiwake, with a cited population of 44,520 pairs.

Director for business and environmental services, Karl Battersby, said the work was scheduled for when the birds were not on the bridge and the treatment has been used elsewhere in Scarborough.

He added: “The gel is not harmful to birds. This method was chosen over netting or electrical deterrents, as netting risked entangling birds, as well as being unsightly.

“We will monitor the impact of the work.”