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Rats!
I've been feeding the birds fat balls for a few years, but the last month I've noticed they are disappearing within one week, this am I asked my husband "can you see something moving at the bottom of the tree" to our horror! we had a closer look and it was a big horrible rat!, what would you do?, there is a recycling company just over the wall which does seem to attract a lot of seagulls when shut 
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Shoot it.
If, like me, shooting is not an option, you can get rat poison or ask the local council to send in the rat control people.
You also need to move your fat ball hanger to a new location where rats can't climb up and get them.
The problem is, is my neighbor is mad on birds and said she's not stopping feeding the birds just because of the rats and knew about the rat problem a months ago, if she's feeding the rats then the rats will eat the young birds
If all else fails try the pipe rat poison feeder its very safe for the other wild life and they go off elsewhere to die not in your garden, the details how are on a previous chat I dont know how to find old chats, good luck.
I think I will ring the council as I don't have a gun, thanks for your advice
Thanks Alan good advice
Here is one of the earlier threads http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/talkback/pest-control/442424.html
I'll see if I can find some more.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks Dove
Have just read an article on rats being trained to detect landmines. They are not the common or garden ones we have in this country but native to sub-Saharan Africa. After clicking on to the website, I discovered they are also being used to detect tubercolosis in order to prevent it's spread.
Very interesting website - apopo.org
Still don't them, however useful they are. Yuk!!!