A Dundee woman has told of the terrifying moment a flock of vicious seagulls swooped on her in the city centre.
Emma Beatt, from Broughty Ferry, was eating a bacon roll outside the Overgate Centre on Thursday when one of the hungry birds snatched it out of her hand, slapping her in the face with its wing and bruising her finger.
Seconds later, around eight more seagulls appeared and began a feeding frenzy.
The incident happened shortly after the Courier’s Don’t Be Gullible campaign highlighted evidence that Dundee’s seagull population has tripled since the year 2000.
Emma, 42, said: “I was in the city centre for an appointment at around 8.15am and was eating a bacon roll while walking outside the Boots near the Overgate Centre.
“All of a sudden a seagull hit me in the face and stole my food – I’d only taken two bites of it!
“Its beak nipped my finger and it’s now bruised, but thankfully there was no serious injury.
“Then, all these other seagulls started coming – there were about seven or eight of them and they were fighting over the roll.
“I got such a fright, I don’t like birds as it is and it seems like they’re getting braver.
“I see people feeding them outside the Steeple Church and I don’t think that helps.”
Earlier this year, a petition was launched calling for a cull of the feathery foragers, claiming that they would spoil days out for visitors coming to the V&A and the new waterfront when they’re completed.
Councillor Ian Borthwick said that he has contacted council officials about the matter.
He explained: “The area near the Overgate and the Steeple Church is where the seagulls seem to be congregating.
“It may be a difficult situation to resolve completely but it seems to me that little is being done at the moment.
“It has been a concern for a long time and is causing a lot of anxiety.
“There was an incident on Brown Street where a lady was attacked by a seagull, which got tangled in her hair and clawed at her head.
“It was during breeding season and it’s likely that she walked under a nest, so the seagull thought she was going to interfere with it.
“These incidents can be very frightening for people.
“I’m waiting to hear back from my department about what can be done about this, and what other local authorities are doing.”
A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said that pest control officers remove eggs and nests during breeding season.
A spokesman said: “We know that gulls can often be a cause for considerable distress and annoyance and we continually pursue tried and tested as well as innovative solutions to the problems that arise from these birds
“Pest control officers are actively involved in removing eggs and nests throughout the breeding season, which is approximately April to July, and while this action greatly reduces the incidences of aggressive behaviour as well as disrupting and reducing the breeding pattern, it can take between five and seven years for the effect to take hold.”
