People in a small Welsh town are under siege because “vicious” seagulls are attacking them as they go about their daily lives. A number of incidents have been reported in Rhuddlan in Denbighshire.
Some people have been left with cuts and scratches, while others have had to use an umbrella in order to protect themselves from the dive-bombing gulls. The attacks are thought to be down to chicks having left their nests in the Parliament Street and Princes Road area of the town, with their parents seeing anyone walking nearby as a potential threat.
Last week, a woman posted on social media that she needed help from a local pub’s staff to get to her car under the cover of a large pub umbrella. She said: “Two seagulls were on the roof watching their baby amongst the cars,” she wrote. “Every time I moved, they swooped down on me.” To get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free, click here.
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Two others who have witnessed the gulls in full swing are Mark Vernon and Steven Scott, who both work for Denbighshire Council as street cleansing operatives. They themselves came under attack as they cleared litter from the area, before they helped a woman trapped in her car who was trying to get to work in a nearby salon.
“Steve was checking the bins while I searched the car park for litter,” Mark told North Wales Live. “Suddenly I felt claws on my head. It was like a stealth attack from behind – I didn’t see or hear it coming. The gull didn’t draw blood but I’ve been told others have not been so lucky.
"A builder nearby told me I was the third person they’d attacked that morning - they’re vicious little buggers! Steve and I saw a woman in her car and realised she might get attacked too. So we got our brushes and held them up to ward off attacks as we walked her to work. They daren’t come near us.”
The issue has even been raised at a town council meeting in Rhuddlan, but as nesting gulls are protected by law, solutions are thought unlikely. “It’s not a problem on the High Street, probably because there’s too much traffic,” said councillor Jackie Burnham. "But where I live people walking their dogs are being attacked. It tends to happen most summers. Gulls are always an issue for people living near the coast, as so many of them seem to think houses are cliffs.”
The pub near where the attacks are happening is the King’s Head, and landlord Darren has said the town will just have to accept the situation. “It was particularly bad a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “Everyone going through the pub car park was being attacked, it was unbelievable. Some were left with cuts on their heads. There’s not a lot we can do as they are a protected species.”
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