It is feared littering gulls could place the Mearns town’s bid for recognition in a Beautiful Scotland competition in jeopardy.
Members of the community are hoping to strike gold again when judges arrive for the contest this month.
However, there are fears the nuisance of marauding gulls could leave the assessors less than impressed, despite hard work by residents.
Stonehaven Community Council has expressed concern over the litter problems along the beach, which is caused by gulls taking food from bins.
In order to address the problem, Aberdeenshire Council put nets on top of the bins along the shoreline however, the measures proved unsuccessful, so £5000 was spent on 25 new bins, many of which were placed on the beach.
They have a pyramid roof and were put in place so the gulls could not perch on the top to take food out. However, this did not deter the gulls either, and the beachfront continues to be covered in litter.
Community council chairman David Fleming said that while he had some concerns over the mess created by the birds, he was also keen to ensure the people of Stonehaven got on board with the campaign bid.
He said, “Seagulls can be a nuisance at this time of year because there are so many of them looking to get into the bins because they are hungry.
“It is important we take precautions against them in the run-up to the competition. I don’t think the judges will expect us to stop them littering altogether, but will look at what we are doing to minimise issues created by the birds.”
Stonehaven was awarded a gold standard in the 2009 Beautiful Scotland awards, but did not enter last year due to a change in committee.
Mr Fleming said the Horizon group had been working for several months to upgrade and maintain the streets of Stonehaven in preparation for the judges.
He said, “The group has done sterling work to improve the overall appearance of the town. They are not just looking at how the plants and flowers look, they are judging the town as a whole, so we need to make sure it is tidy, both on the day and at all other times.”
Three judges will spend time in the town on Monday, August 15.
The Horizon group has been working in conjunction with Aberdeenshire Council and the community over the past year to ensure Stonehaven meets the highest standards of horticultural achievements, environmental quality such as the absence of litter and graffiti, and sustainable development such as composting and recycling.
The Beautiful Scotland Awards ceremony will take place this year on September 12 in Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute.
Photo Stewart Lloyd-Jones.