By Graham Tutthill

Two herring gulls have set up home in the middle of the main
Dover to London railway line.

One bird is nesting right in the middle of the London-bound
line, the other has built its nest between the two sets of tracks,
near the old harbour station just off Limekiln Street at Dover.
Both are very close to the live rails.

Trains pass by, or over them, at least four times an hour.
Fortunately, because of the sharp curve on the line, the trains are
travelling quite slowly.

The gull on the Dover to London line sits tight when a
Dover-bound train passes by, and hops off onto the grass next to
the line when the London-bound trains are just inches away.

Video: Herring gulls make
a home on live rails

The gull between the tracks flies off just as a train approaches
in either direction. Both return soon after the trains have
gone.

Network Rail's Gary Gaskarth said:
"We have investigated, and as these gulls are not affecting rail
operations, we are leaving them alone.

"There is no safety issue
here."

But Kirk Alexander from the White Cliffs Countryside Project
said nesting birds were protected by law.

Passers-by are concerned about what will happen if, or when, any
chicks hatch out, and may not be aware of the impending danger.