Choosing nests, not nets: BT removes netting to help endangered kittiwakes
Click above to watch a video report by ITV News Anglia's Rob Setchell
BT has removed nets on the side of its telephone exchange in Lowestoft- after complaints a colony of kittiwakes were being blocked from nesting- leaving them distressed.
The telecoms giant decided to reconnect with its slightly noisy neighbours - with new purpose-built ledges built on the side of the building for the endangered gulls.
Now conservationists hope Suffolk could become a stronghold for the struggling species.
Many residents still see the gulls as a nuisance because of the noise and the mess but there are only two colonies left in Suffolk - and they're on the red list for global extinction. That's the same status as the blue whale.
Which is why Jamie from the RSPB insists Lowestoft is lucky to have its kittiwakes...
"The birds may potentially be causing issues in some circumstances - but it doesn't mean that the answer is just to try and block them off completely. It's trying to find alternative ways to make sure there's space for them. We're hoping that Suffolk can become a bit of a stronghold for the species, where it's safe and able to thrive against what's going on elsewhere."
The RSPB now hopes more companies might follow BT's lead - to work with nature rather than against it - and choose nests, not nets.