THE best way to stop seagulls nicking your chips is by staring them in the eyes, a bird expert reckons.
Glaring and pointing at the seaside snack snatchers frightens the birds and forces them to divert away, he says.
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Animal behaviour expert Prof Paul Graham also advises standing against a wall to help avoid dive bombing.
The Sussex University academic said: “Animals that steal are aware of the attention of the individual they are trying to steal from.
“If a bird is in the air and you are worried it might attack, then simply staring at that bird and pointing will stop it coming towards you.”
An Exeter University study has also shown gulls strike more quickly when not being watched.
Prof Graham described gulls as a kleptoparasitic species — preferring to steal food from others.
Last week, a Swedish girl was given a tetanus shot after a seagull attacked her and grabbed her ice cream on a beach in Lyme Regis, Dorset.
And the Imperial pub in Exeter has brought in three falcons to scare the gulls away.