Scolding seagulls could stop them stealing food

EXPERTS say shouting at seagulls make them more likely to leave your food alone.

- TOM BEVAN

Research carried out showed physical violence was not needed to scare off gulls - but a loud ticking off could be enough to save your fish and chips from the pesky birds.

Researchers used male voices - as most crimes against wildlife are carried out by men - and a put a closed Tupperware box of chips on the ground to pique the herring gulls' interest.

Once a gull approached, the team from the University of Exeter played either a recording of a male voice shouting or speaking the words, “No, stay away, that’s my food” or the “neutral” birdsong of a robin.

They tested a total of 61 gulls across nine seaside towns in Cornwall and found that nearly half of those gulls exposed to the shouting voice flew away within a minute.