Science Explains How To Stop Seagulls From Stealing Your Chips

It's August, aka known as the month of sea gull Armageddon. At seaside towns and beaches across the world, sea gulls are unleashing their annual assault on our  beloved chips and pizza.

A postgraduate researcher at St Ives university named Madeline Goumas has revealed her scientific solution for stopping sea gull food attacks. It's terrifying. It's frightening. It's for the truly brave.

Goumas recommends we stare sea gulls right in the eye.

“We found that they are less likely to approach food when they are being watched,” Goumas said. “Sometimes they would jump and stop dead when they realised they were being watched.”

“The effect was clearer with some individuals than others,” Goumas said. “For the most part the gulls were wary of me when I was watching them, but there were a few individuals that were quick to approach even when I was looking at them.”

That's all well and good for a scientist, but do you have the courage to stare a sea gull in the eye?