Seagulls are bad for your mental health: Epidemic of dive-bombing birds like the Luftwaffe are blamed for new effect on terrorised townsfolk
They are locally feared for their terrifying attacks on unsuspecting passers-by.
They are locally feared for their terrifying attacks on unsuspecting passers-by.
But the situation in Elgin, Moray, has become so bad that residents are being asked to report if dive-bombing seagulls are affecting their mental health.
Elgin Community Council intends to use the results to make a case to Holyrood for improved control measures, after disputing a NatureScot report that seagull populations are declining.
Pest controllers say the town is faced with ‘epidemic’ numbers during the breeding season.
Rob Teasdale, of Specialist Vermin Control, said: ‘They are like the Luftwaffe the way they come off the roof and everyone dives for cover as they swoop at things.’
By yesterday afternoon, eight per cent of respondents to the survey on the council’s Facebook page had said the birds were affecting their mental health. NatureScot was contacted for comment.
Diving seagulls have become such an epidemic in Elgin, Scotland, that residents are being asked if its affecting their mental health (stock image)
The community (Pictured: Eglin in Scotland) intend to take their findings to Holyrood in a bid to get further control measures
It comes as seagulls wreaked havoc across Britain from shoplifting packet of crisps, flying down chimneys, and even re-creating ominous scenes reminiscent of an Alfred Hitchcock horror movie.
From Dorset to Glasgow, no one is safe from the dive-bombing menaces of the sky, who regularly swipe chips from unsuspecting seaside tourists, with one Isle of Man business even offering seagull insurance to victims.
Hawkins BBQ, announced their new £1 policy offering a free new meal to any punter who had been left traumatised by a gull nabbing their food - if they had taken out the coverage.
It seems nothing can deter the hungry pests, with one even causing havoc in a womans kitchen in Aberdeen.
The clip shows the winged fiend flying around the kitchen before attempting to shuffle its way out of the window.
Gillian McCabe, 40, from Aberdeen, was alerted to the intruder after the family dog started growling and barking in the other room.
Making her way to the kitchen, the chef was startled by the sight of a huge flying rat whizzing its way around the room.
Cowering from the seagulls sight, Gillian recorded the brazen bird from the safety of her living room.
Despite the family dog trying to escort the beaked intruder out of the kitchen, the seagull was not budging.
This comes after the group attempted to dispute with NatureScot that the population of seagulls was declining
Pest controllers say the town is faced with ‘epidemic’ numbers during the breeding season (Pictured Elgin Cathedral, Scotland)
In the footage, you can see as Gillian starts to shout at the bird, which usually perches on the roof of her shed, as it attempts to escape via a window.
My dog started growling and barking so went to see what was happening, Gillian said.
I thought my dog was going to eat it but it kept pecking her. We opened the door and it scared it to the worktop and it left out the open window.
Despite us nicknaming it the friendly seagull, I think they are flying rats and Aberdeen ones are huge and scary, she added.
My daughter wanted to keep it as we already have a cat, dog, house rabbit, hamster and look after my friend parrot from time to time.
Elsewhere in Lancashire, another gull was brazen enough to enter another familys home and even stole their cats biscuits.
The unapologetic bird, nicknamed Sammy, is essentially part of the family in the Mullins home in Thornton, often receiving treats and even crawling into bed with mother Kerri.
More recently, the 38-year-old captured the seagull bravely facing off against the familys cats in an attempt to get itself some food.
The footage shows the bird confidently strolling into the house, through the garden door, approaching several bowls scattered across the floor.
Undeterred by the four cats keeping an eagle-eyed view of him, the bird stakes his claim on the food and begins pecking into his dinner.
But no cat-fight erupted between the animals, as Kerris felines have grown accustomed to Sammy waddling around their home, after he moved in last December.
The door is often left open for him in case hes feeling peckish, with the bird expecting breakfast, lunch and dinner - and even sharing fish and chips with the family on Fridays.
I spotted him on the roof when I first moved in then he started standing at the door, Kerri said.
Seagulls have continued to terrorise Brits across the country this summer shoplifting, divebombing for chips and even sending one youngster to hospital
One bird (Pictured) even flew into a kitchen in Aberdeen, Scotland, leaving the homeowner stunned
Gillian McCabe, 40, from Aberdeen, was alerted to the flying fiend by her dog, with her daughter adamant they should keep the bird
One day he was making a mad noise outside. I asked him what was up and if he was hungry then I started talking to him every day.
I know I sound crazy, she quipped.
He walked in and went straight to the cat food and I said to my son thats alright, weve got another pet now.
I leave my back door open so he can come in and out. He doesnt care about the cats and I think the cats are used to all sorts because theyre rescues.
I shout Sammy and he comes. Ive woken up to him in bed with me. He pulls at my bedding to tell me hes hungry.
She quipped: Hes cheeky but I love him.
Gulls arent only taking over in kitchens, they are also making their way into living rooms too.
Chimney sweep, Neil Jarret, 48, was met with quite the surprise as he was clearing one chimney flue in Hampshire.
As he began clearing away at the debris, the chimney sweep had to battle with a rambunctious seagull who had become stuck in the small enclave.
An unapologetic bird, nicknamed Sammy, in Thornton is essentially part of the family, and has no fear of helping himself to the cat food - even if four felines are staring him down (pictured)
Kerri - who lives in the home - explained that they leave the door open for the gull and regularly feed him. He has even crawled into her bed on occasion
The bird began frantically flapping its wings as the ex-Royal Navy seaman gently wrapped his hands around the bird to take it outside.
Neil had arrived at the home after receiving a worried phone call from a homeowner who believed there was a bird in her chimney flue after spotting a flurry of feathers.
The 48-year-old believed he would find a dead bird as he emptied the flue but to his shock there was a healthy gull.
I said the chances are, because we had a deluge of rain the night before, its probably weather affects on an old chimney, he said.
I asked if there was any movement, but she didnt hear anything, so it could be old feathers from way back when or it could be a dead bird thats been dislodged because of the weather.
He added: There is no way I was expecting it to be a seagull, to be honest. I thought it might be any young pigeon. This was a first for me,
He had far more bite power than any of the other birds Ive rescued, as Ive discovered.
Elsewhere in Lancashire, locals claimed an apocalyptic swarm of up to 3,000 seagulls has made it difficult to go outside.
The scavenging winged terrors flocked to the area, which is 30 miles from the nearest coast, when workers at a nearby landfill site began filling a disused quarry with rubbish.
In a video a scene reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock horror movie The Birds, hoards of gulls are seen soaring overhead with local houses, cars and gardens being bombarded by bird poo.
Fed-up residents have since started a community campaign to get the operator of the landfill to do more to prevent the birds from running amok.
Gary Hough, 62, said: There must have been 3,000 seagulls above my house on Wednesday this week. Ive never seen anything like it.
The gulls are here about 7am and head towards the tip and they come in dribs and drabs but start to congregate.
Then from 8am onwards, thats when the majority of them come and its just constant until around 9.30pm.
Gary and partner Cheryl Gouldstone, 59, have lived in their £200,000 semi for eight years, but fear the plague of birds might devalue properties in the area.
They say birds have always been attracted to the site, but since last October it has got steadily worse and the issue has been turbo-charged since April.
Over in Hampshire, Neil Jarret was left startled after he found a rambunctious gull in a customers chimney flue (Pictured)
He had far more bite power than any of the other birds Ive rescued, as Ive discovered, the chimney sweep shared
The firm operating the Whinney Hill landfill, Suez, have implemented mitigation measures, such as setting of loud noises to scare the birds.
But Gary said all that it does is scatter the birds overhead and cause them to drop their mess on cars, washing and driveways.
He added: It started to become such a concern and people were saying they were getting sick of it.
The birds that have come have now nested so theyre here to stay. Theyre breeding very quickly and from April, weve seen them multiplying.
Ive never seen anything like it, all these new birds that are breeding, its not like theyre coming from elsewhere.
