The council is urging Dumfries residents to help in the ongoing battle against seagulls.
Members of the public are being asked to report seagull nests and eggs to the authority as it bids to clamp down on incidents of dive-bombing birds.
Gulls start building nests and laying eggs in late April and early May before incubating them for another three to four weeks.
The council say this is the best time for them to remove nests and eggs.
A statement on the council’s Facebook page said: “If you live in DG1 or DG2 then any gull nests on your property can be removed free of charge by contacting environmental health or the contact centre on 303 33 33 3000.
“A contractor will call and, if possible, will also place spikes on the roof area where the nest was built to try and prevent the gulls rebuilding.
“Any complaints relating to swooping or stealing of food should also be reported as this helps us target certain locations.”
The council statement continued: “Sometimes neighbours have a better view of a nest site than the person who lives in the house on which the nest is built.
“If you think your neighbour has a gull nest on their roof, ask the affected householder to report the nest. Building owners, occupiers and landlords need to give us permission to remove gull eggs or nests. We can’t do anything without this permission.”
The council has operated a free nest and egg removal scheme in recent years with the hope of reducing numbers. However a council report in March showed the number of nesting pairs in Dumfries has risen from 618 in 2010 to 660 last year.
At the same meeting councillors approved plans to look into a humane gull cull in the town.
