Seagull poo catchers set to be installed on Tyne Bridge to save customers at Wylam Brewery's By the River Brew Co in Gateshead

Wylam Brewery’s Bob Cameron has applied to Gateshead Council for permission to install six temporary metal trays on the super structure to catch waste from nesting birds.

‘By the River Brew Co’ on the Gateshead Banks of the Tyne has proven a hit with punters and critics alike ever since it opened its doors in 2017.

Since then, the establishment has been getting rave reviews in the local and national press even attracting the attention of foodie bible the Michelin Guide, which gave it a mention on its social media.

The bridge is home to an estimated 250 breeding pairs of kittiwakes, with most of them nesting on the ledges of the two stone towers.

However, a small number of these birds have chosen to make their homes on the angled surfaces provided by the webs of the bridge’s riveted steelstructure.

The container community is nestled under the Tyne Bridge and there are two areas “where bird excrement and other waste from the nests directly above impacts on customers and useable space below,” according to a planning statement.

An application submitted to Gateshead Council proposes that the six temporary trays could be installed beneath the bridge to “prevent kittiwake droppings falling on visitors to the Hillgate Quay development.”

If the scheme is given the go-ahead the trays would initially only be in place for a year and will be coated with a polyester powder to match the colour of the bridge and deter birds from nesting on them.

The planning statement added: “The design of the installation to be temporary and without any intrusive mechanical fixings through the bridge fabric further limits impact on the heritage asset itself.”

Gateshead Council will decide on the application by mid March.