23 February 2024 , 19:02
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A savage seagull left a tourist with an injury to her face when it swooped and stole a chocolate mini egg from her mouth.
Kelley Lockey, 34, from Gateshead was on a family holiday in Eyemouth, Scotland, when she was ambushed by a bird which smacked her in the face. She had just come out of a shop when the attack happened, forcing her mother to flee the scene and duck for cover.
Kelley told Daily Record : “I was coming out of the Co-op with my nephew and had bought us both Lindor mini eggs. I was on my second bite when I felt an almighty force to the side of my head and seconds later I realised I had been hit by three huge birds fighting for it out of my mouth.
"I felt pain on my face [so] I reached up to wipe my lip and realised I was bleeding all over the ground. My nephew got such a fright and my mother ran off in fear. We couldn't believe they stole the eggs from my mouth.
"We have been coming to Eyemouth four to five times a year since I was a baby. When my son was just three years old, seagulls swooped and snatched hotdogs from his hands and caused him to fall over at the same time. It's fair to say we were all extremely wary of the birds now."
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Locals in the area were left shocked after learning of Kelley's injury but warned that seagulls in the area had become more aggressive, potentially due to being fed by tourists.
Mandi Jane Wright said: "People should stop feeding them, it could be a person's eye out next. My friend's little girl got a nasty bite on her finger and needed stitches and a tetanus jab."
The natural behaviour of seagulls is often characterised as scavenging and aggressive, but like all birds in Scotland they are protected by law therefore it is illegal to cause them harm.