Seagulls who have been terrifying Britons in seaside towns are now swooping in to take a nibble out of people’s ice creams.
The latest attack saw one of the shrieking gulls pounce just as a man is about to take a bite out of his recently bought £3 treat as he walks along the seafront with his wife in Lyme Regis, Dorset.
As he went to take a lick the greedy gull clamped its beak around the ball of ice cream.
His wife scrunches her face in terror before she places her hand above her own ice cream in an act of protection.
Luckily for the man the ice cream remained in the wafer cornet and the seagull only managed to take a bite before flying away.
A shrieking gull pounces just as a man is about to take a bite out of his recently bought £3 treat as he walks along the seafront with his wife in Lyme Regis, Dorset
As he went to take a lick the greedy gull clamped its beak around the ball of ice cream
Seagulls frequently dive-bomb tourists with food in the seaside town.
A young Swedish girl had to be taken to hospital recently after being bitten by a gull that tried to take her croissant.
The girl suffered a cut to her hand and had to have a tetanus shot following the ambush.
The owners of the guest house where the Swedish girl had been staying have challenged Lyme Regis Town Council to find a solution to stop seagulls putting tourists off.
It was the latest in a series of gull attacks at the seaside resort in the past few weeks.
One bystander said she saw a gull ‘stalk’ a woman as she left a bakery and pinch her cake.
Deb Morrison said: ‘A seagull literally stalked a lady coming out of the bakery and stole her cake.’
Matthew Lawrence said: ‘In Lyme Regis the seagull is king. They stole two ice creams from us yesterday.’
Gareth Evans added: ‘ Bought sausage and chips in Lyme Regis today, immediately got robbed of the sausage by a seagull.’
His wife scrunches her face in terror before she places her hand above her own ice cream in an act of protection
The man quickly moves his ice cream out of the way as the greedy gull flaps away having only managed to get a tiny nibble
Lyme Regis Town Council have tried using gull-proof bins, flying drones and even employing bird handlers with hawks and eagles to scare off the gulls after complaints they were terrorising visitors.
Five years ago officials hired two bald eagles to defend their beaches.
The trial experiment saw a professional falconer walk up and down the prom with the birds of prey on his arm to deter the gulls.
Although the initiative worked, the council have been unable to repeat the measure due to a lack of funds.
The coastal town has an anti-social behaviour Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which makes it a civil offence to intentionally feed the gulls and anyone seen doing so can be issued a £100 fine.
Despite being a menace, seagulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal to kill or injure them.
In 2022 police launched an investigation after one harassed tourist attacked a gull with a cricket bat in Lyme Regis.
Our reporter sits down to enjoy a portion of chips on a park bench in South Shields
The first seagull swoops down to take a look at the chips in South Shields
The seagulls then start battling each other for one of the chips in South Shields
One of the seagulls in South Shields then takes the box of chips onto the floor as they fight
The steak bake was standing for nine seconds before being taken by a gull in South Shields
In Torquay, a seagull swept in and took our reporter’s Greggs steak bake within seconds
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
Lyme Regis Town Council clerk John Wright said: ‘The town council is very aware of the seagull issue in Lyme Regis and has tried many ways over the years to deter them and make people aware of the dangers.
‘This has included bringing in birds of prey, flying a drone, issuing advice leaflets to residents, installing signs on the seafront warning people of seagull thieves, and introducing bins on the seafront which make it harder for gulls to pull waste from them.
‘The council also has two enforcement officers who are authorised to issue fixed penalty notices of up to £100 to anyone who intentionally feeds seagulls.
‘However, due to the number of food outlets in Lyme Regis and the resulting waste, this makes the town an attractive place for seagulls to find food.
‘The seagulls may be more aggressive at the moment because it is breeding season and adult gulls are protecting their chicks.’
