Angry seagull breaks pensioner’s pelvis in second Bridlington attack

Jennie Walker, 78, is still recovering from her injuries in Bridlington Hospital after falling and breaking her pelvis while trying to help an elderly man who had been swooped at by seagulls near her home in the resort.

The attack follows another in which 76-year-old Neville Palmer was left covered in blood after seagulls attacked him on Bridlington Harbour.

Mrs Walker said: “There are too many seagulls and they are dangerous, they need to be culled. “The council has to do something or this type of thing will keep happening”.

She said that even though the council had put spikes on chimneys and roofs, the seagulls were still building their nests and attacking frightened residents.

Mr Palmer warned that the next attack could be fatal.

He said: “When the seagull attacked me I thought I had been hit with a baseball bat, that’s how hard it hit me. I was left in shock and my face was covered in blood. I wasn’t carrying food or drink.

“I am quite fit for my age, so I worry what would happen to someone more frail or a young child - I’m afraid the shock could well prove fatal. We have been coming to Bridlington for 30 years, but after the shock of this I would be worried about going down to the harbour again.”

East Riding of Yorkshire Council have placed signs around the town, especially outside cafes and fish and chip shops, warning people not to feed the seagulls because they can become aggressive.

Steve Race from the RSPB reserve in nearby Bempton, said: “You will see lots of young gulls being protected by their mothers at this time of year if they think the young are under threat,” said Mr Race.

“The problem is that a lot of the time people may not see the young gulls, as they could be behind a wall or a car, and people out in the town usually mean no harm at all.

“There is nothing that people can do apart from the obvious things - not feeding them and making sure rubbish is not dropped or left where the gulls can get at it.

“They are a scavenging bird and will try to steal food from people, because they recognise the trays that some people feed them from.”

Paul Bellotti, head of housing and public protection at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “Bridlington is no different to any other seaside resort, seagulls are part of the experience, but we must all be aware that on rare occasions they can be aggressive when protecting their young or finding food.

“Provided we all follow simple advice of not feeding the seagulls and maybe eat under cover, and put leftover food in bins, it will reduce the food supply and strike the right balance between controlling the numbers of seagulls and causing problems of nuisance.”