Man asks council: Can I shoot seagulls and eat them for dinner?

A council has revealed some of the most bizarre calls it has ever received from its local people, including one man who asked whether he could shoot seagulls and serve them up for dinner in his restaurant.

Westminster City Council has published a guide to the most unusual correspondence it has been asked to deal with, which includes the daring request from the restaurant owner.

Another woman contacted the local authority to urge it to inform trading standards that she suspected a £10 designer handbag she bought at a market in the city might be fake.

Meanwhile, a different lady called the council only last week with a request for all porn to be removed from the internet, and she had to be informed that the authority did not have the power to do this.

Margaret Scott of Westminster City Council's call centre is quoted by the Metro as saying: "Some things are just beyond belief. We are here to help, but sometimes there is no help to be given."