often cause problems for gardeners, from harassing popular songbirds to eating all the birdseed and generally creating a lot of noise. However, the birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which was designed to protect the UK's wildlife from deliberate harm.

As a result, it is illegal to move, damage, or destroy the or egg of any wild bird, regardless of whether the nest is in the process of being built or already finished. All this means that if magpies have made themselves at home in your , you cannot force them out. However, you are well within your rights to try to deter them from visiting in the first place.

Bird netting experts at Huck have shared several ways to stop magpies from taking over your garden that are both safe and humane.

Magpies are startled by light reflections, so this can be an effective method of keeping them out of your garden.

There are a couple of ways you can do this. Firstly, are a great way of reflecting light around, so if you have some lying around, hang them up around your garden at regular intervals.

If you've taken the plunge and disposed of all your old CDs, you can also buy specific bird tape either online or from your local garden centre or pet shop.

Bird tape is simply a reflective tape that does the same job as a hanging CD would. With this method, apply the tape to certain areas of the garden.

However, as this tape is largely permanent once installed, make sure you think carefully about where you will stick it to make sure you catch the light and maximise reflections.

Other, more expensive methods to deter magpies include buying audible bird scaring devices which emit noises designed to frighten away the birds. Ensure you also , as this is a particularly popular food source for the local magpie population.