It’s seagull season again, and as usual at this time of year the horrible noise begins before dawn, the gull chicks mew pathetically on the rooftops (or in the street when they fall off, cannot fly and are abandoned) and the adults queue by the benches on the quay and in the churchyard, hoping to be fed the odd chip or snatch a pasty or ice cream. And, of course, they raid the black sacks and waste bins, leaving a swathe of debris strewn across the roads and pavements. Worse, as the chicks get older they pick up the bad habits of their parents.
Early risers out for the morning paper, or to water the allotment before it’s too hot, will see this and sigh. Those who get up late will not because, as if by magic, all the mess has been tidied away.
By whom?
Shane and his team do an early morning round, picking up the litter, emptying the bins and replacing the liner bags. Many people will never see them but without them Rye would be a festering mess. So let’s not forget the secret army of bin men, often ignored and probably never even spoken to or thanked by Rye residents. So this is a public thank you to Shane and colleagues to the diligent crew who have the unpleasant task of clearing up every day, and who don’t complain.
