St Mark's cafes fighting agst seagulls

(ANSA) - Venice, May 4 - Historic cafes and eateries in Venice's iconic St Mark's Square have been fighting for a year against the swarms of seagulls that swoop down to try to pinch food as soon as it is served.
    The campaign waged by Cafe Florian, Cafe Quadri and others, using deterrent balloons and water 'bombs' among other things, has so far not produced the hoped-for results.
    A sound system playing the call of a hawk failed to put off the winged thieves.
    So the St Mark's Association is now considering other moves including spraying repellents into the air, and is asking for suggestions, the Corriere del Veneto reported.
    "The seagulls' attacks are also a problem from the standpoint of public safety, they scare people," said Renato Costantini, Florian manager.
    "That's why we've started testing systems to cover snack until they get to tables.
    "The plastic prototypes weren't very practical, clients didn't know where to put them, so now we're trying again with cardboard".