The public are being asked not to feed seagulls at Great Yarmouth's scenic Waterways in a bid to stop fluffy ducklings being routinely picked off.

Events co-ordinator Lee Brown said it was distressing to see the new lives so abruptly and savagely ended by the bigger birds.

He said they were swooping in as soon as the ducklings emerged from their eggs and eating them.

And although there were signs telling people not to feed the gulls he believed it was a factor in drawing them to the Venetian Waterways where numerous ducks were trying to raise their young.

"We do not want children seeing it," he said. "It's bad enough for the adults. One lady I told about what was happening said she was so upset thinking about them that she couldn't sleep.

"It's a horrible way to go. I know it is nature and the gulls have to eat and there is only so much we can do, but it does happen a lot.

"We just want to make people a bit more mindful. When they are little they are just so tiny and light."