Trish Pavey's pictures of the flocks of birds at Merrie Gardens. HUGE flocks of pigeons and seagulls are causing problems in Lake — and residents have been asked to stop feeding them. The area around Merrie Gardens is so popular with the birds, they congregate in flocks of up to 70 at a time. The situation has eased somewhat since the Marilyn Sheath, chairman of Merrie Gardens Residents' Association, asked people to resist feeding them, in a notice in Lake Ripples parish magazine. The problem had got so bad, seagulls started damaging the roofs at nearby Spithead Industrial Estate. Hannah Woodford, general manager at Spithead, said: "We have tried various tactics over the past few months which include installing eagle kites, having a routine physical presence on the parts of the roof that are safe to access, and shining a green laser onto the surface of the roof.