Why seagulls steal your chips — and some tips on how to try save your al-fresco snacks

Well, gulls just wanna have fun (and some carbs)

Michelle McKeown: "As coastal nesting grounds have been disturbed or lost to development, gulls have found new real estate in towns. Rooftops and chimneys make great cliff substitutes. Cities offer safety from predators and, more importantly, reliable food sources. Between bins, takeaways, litter, and open-air diners, the average town is a gull’s idea of a buffet."

You’ve barely unwrapped your seaside chips when — whoosh — a blur of wings, a sharp beak, and a war cry like a kettle boiling over pierces the air. Your lunch is gone. A seagull, unapologetic and proud, flaps away victoriously. You, meanwhile, are left clutching vinegar-soaked paper and existential despair.

Why do seagulls steal our food? Are they simply feathered fiends with no moral compass? Or is there more to this coastal crimewave?