Britons are enduring terrifying seagull attacks with shocking videos showing the birds swooping in to eat Greggs steak bakes and McDonald’s Big Macs.
MailOnline sent reporters to seaside spots including Torquay in Devon, Bournemouth in Dorset and South Shields in South Tyneside this week to investigate.
In Torquay, they found the birds took a steak bake in just 18 seconds – seven times as fast as the traditional seagull favourite of fish and chips.
And in South Shields it took just two seconds for a gull to scoop up a chip from our reporter, who had to flee to safety, before hoards of birds swarmed the tabled.
It comes after it was revealed that Greggs customers were being terrorised by an aggressive gull who swipes pasties and pizza slices in Bournemouth.
1/5) Our reporter sits down to enjoy a portion of chips on a park bench in South Shields
2/5) The first seagull swoops down to take a look at the chips in South Shields
3/5) The seagulls then start battling each other for one of the chips in South Shields
4/5) One of the seagulls in South Shields then takes the box of chips onto the floor as they fight
5/5) More seagulls flock towards the chips which are now all over the grass in South Shields
In South Shields, families are being terrorised by violent seagulls who grab their lunch seconds after they start tucking in.
Our reporter purchased a Tesco tuna and sweetcorn salad, a Greggs steak bake, a Big Mac and a portion of chips to see how quickly the ravenous birds tried to pinch our meals.
It took 20 seconds for the tuna salad to be preyed upon by the gulls – but proved most popular as only a few crumbs were left behind.
It was five seconds before a gull managed to pluck the burger bun off the top of the Big Mac.
The steak bake was standing for nine seconds before it was stolen by a seagull.
They were the most aggressive while fighting it out for the bake, as tens of gulls tried to tear it apart with their beaks.
The terrifying birds are well known amongst locals.
1/3) Next up in South Shields was the Big Mac, with one of the seagulls swooping in for the bun
2/3) The seagulls battle each other for the buns and burgers from the Big Mac in South Shields
3/3) The seagulls battle for the Big Mac in South Shields as one removes part of the bun
A sign hung in the McDonald’s window reads: ‘Please be aware that any hungry seagulls in the area will be curious about your food.’
Last year, Wayne Simpson had just purchased a Big Mac from the fast food giant when a bird swooped down and stole it.
And in 2017, a peckish seagull pinched a packet of salt and vinegar crisps from a Greggs store on the high street.
At the other end of England, our reporter in Torquay headed to the seafront to test out four lunches from popular chains enjoyed by millions of Brits every week.
These were a McDonald’s Big Mac, a steak bake, a portion of chips from a fish and chip shop and a Tesco prawn salad.
Within seconds of taking out the £2 pastry, a gull deftly swooped in, grabbing the food and flying away to safety. In comparison it took two minutes and 17 seconds for the birds to take their chances with the chip shop meal.
1/3) The seagulls in South Shields also fought over a Tesco tuna and sweetcorn salad
2/3) It took 20 seconds for the tuna salad to be preyed upon by the gulls in South Shields
3/3) The salad proved most popular in South Shields as only a few crumbs were left behind
Despite being the world’s most popular burger with 2.5million sold globally each day, it took three and a half minutes for one of the birds to brave taking a bite.
As well as being the healthiest, the salad was by far the safest option for a hassle-free lunch and was left untouched for 36 minutes. Only after it was left unattended were the prawns and carrot eaten. The cucumber, sweetcorn and lettuce were ignored.
Seagulls have been a scourge of the south Devon town for years due to their aggressive antics and regular food thefts.
A female Torquay resident said: ‘I don’t like them. They rip rubbish open and they attack people. They’re just vermin basically. The rats are probably kinder than the seagulls are.
‘They’re protected and I just can’t see why. They kill badgers and every single year they breed and breed and there’s just thousands more born every year.
1/2) The steak bake was standing for nine seconds before being taken by a gull in South Shields
2/2) The seagulls in South Shields were the most aggressive while fighting it out for the bake
‘They cause people a lot of trouble. If you don’t watch your food they just pinch it out your hand. They’re just horrible. They fight each other as well.’
Pictures emerged this week of one gull, nicknamed Greg, targeting customers as they unsuspectingly leave a bakery in Bournemouth.
One man in a white T-shirt eating a pizza slice was spooked after the ferocious gull flew directly behind his head and made a lunge for his tasty meal.
Some of Greg’s victims manage to instinctively duck down just in time to avoid losing their lunch – while others are left to go hungry.
The hungry gull has been spotted by locals using a red phone box near the bakery as a perch to spot his next victim.
One local said: ‘He is very sneaky and seems to know exactly what he is doing.
In Torquay, a seagull swept in and took our reporter’s Greggs steak bake within seconds
Seagulls swoop in to take a look at our reporter’s portion of chips in Torquay
Torquay residents say seagulls have been a scourge of the south Devon town for years
The Tesco prawn salad was left untouched by seagulls in Torquay for 36 minutes
‘People have to walk past the phone box as they leave Greggs and they usually start eating their sausage rolls or steak bakes straight away.
‘This gull then tries his luck and swoops in to try and take whatever is in their hand. I was lucky and reacted quickly but I saw one guy lose his pizza slice to the gull.’
One man was left staring at his empty wrapper in disbelief as the seagull snatched his pizza slice and flew off.
Greg was seen circling with intent as it hunted more snacks to pilfer during lunchtime footfall.
Several people, including a young woman, had to duck for the cover as the open-mouthed gull flew straight at them.
Gulls are opportunistic feeders and will eat almost anything they can fit down their throats.
One man eating a Greggs pizza slice was spooked after Greg the seagull flew directly behind his head and made a lunge for his tasty meal in Bournemouth
Greg the gull has been targeting customers as they unwittingly leave a bakery in Bournemouth
The gull has been spotted by locals using a red phone box near the bakery in Bournemouth
Greg makes off after successfully swiping a pizza slice in Bournemouth
Bournemouth locals have reported that Greg is sneaky and seems to know what he is doing
Their natural diet includes scraps, eggs, seeds, fruits, carrion, fish, insects, smaller birds and shellfish. But gulls living in cities have grown an appetite for British classics like chips, burgers and kebabs.
And the animals eat far more than humans do, with a fully grown adult herring gull for instance eating approximately 20 per cent of its body weight every day in food.
That is the equivalent of a 10-stone adult consuming two stone worth of food every day – or 59 Big Macs.
Despite his need for food, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council urged visitors not to feed hungry Greg.
A spokesman said: ‘We are limited in action we can take.
‘In a coastal area, this is a part of life and we encourage visitors to not feed the seagulls and avoid carrying food near spots where there is a high concentration.’
The birds – technically called gulls rather than seagulls – remain protected because their colonies are declining so rapidly, meaning they are on a ‘red list’ of birds at risk.
The animal is expected to eat around 20 per cent of his body weight per day in Bournemouth
A picture showing Greg as he swoops on the man in the white T-shirt in Bournemouth
The man was mid-bite when Greg struck in Bournemouth
The man managed to duck down just in time to avoid losing his lunch in Bournemouth
The phonebox used by Greg as a perch sits just along the street from Greggs in Bournemouth
And anyone who deliberately disturbs or harms wild gulls risks up to two years in prison and a fine.
Bird expert Dominic Couzens previously told MailOnline that seagulls were more intelligent than people gave them credit for and they were taking advantage of Brits’ forgiving nature.
Mr Couzens said the fierce gulls had learned to target people holding chips and ice creams – and suggested Brits only have themselves to blame.
The expert said: ‘They are not the problem. We are the problem. The reason herring gulls started eating chips is that people would leave them and not put them in bins.
‘If they come into town they are going to be more familiar with people. They are omnivores, very intelligent and will eat anything.
‘They are opportunistic and extremely adaptable. If they are into a good thing, they will stick with it.
‘They are being lazy – just taking opportunities when they present themselves. From their point of view it’s just doing what they do – what comes naturally to them.’
