Blackpool’s seagulls aren’t the only ones at it – Britain loses £171m to greedy gull thefts

A new survey has found that Britain’s seagulls are not just stealing our lunch, they are also leaving our wallets feeling lighter too.

New research from Compare the Market has revealed the annual cost of the nation’s greedy gull problem, with a whopping 71% of Brits having had food stolen or targeted by a seagull.

The Great Greedy Seagull Index estimates that Brits have collectively lost £171 million worth of food a year to the airborne bandits with the average cost of a gull grab costing £5.50, as seagull encounters once again take over the summer conversation.

From first-time fish and chip taster Benito who went viral after a seagull swooped in and stole his lunch to Molly-Mae Hague’s own chicken-nugget holiday horror story, even celebrities aren’t safe from the fearless food critics.

Fish and chips are top of the menu, with 72% of Brits who have had their food targeted saying their chippy tea was stolen or subjected to an attempted theft, followed by sandwiches (21%) and ice cream (20%).

But the damage doesn’t stop at a missing lunch. More than three-quarters of Brits (76%) say they have changed where or how they eat outdoors to stop seagulls stealing their food, while nearly a third (32%) say they have abandoned, dropped or sacrificed it altogether.

More than four in ten (43%) have resorted to hiding their lunch from view, while nearly a third (31%) have gobbled down their food faster to protect it from the gulls’ gullets.

And for many, it’s not a one-off, with more than two thirds (69%) of those targeted saying they’ve had their food nicked or targeted more than once.

Even those who’ve managed to keep hold of their lunch have seen the gulls in action, with a whopping 82% of Brits witnessing someone else become a victim of their food-snatching antics.

The survey also reveals some of the more unusual items that have come under attack, with Brits reporting seagulls attempting to steal everything from a child’s toy (9%) to a can or bottle of drink (7%) – proving that when it comes to freebies, apparently nothing is off the menu.

Off the back of the findings, Compare the Market is today launching the UK’s first ‘Gull Guarantee’ at Peter’s Fish Factory in Margate.

From 12.30pm, customers who fall victim to a hungry gull can have their stolen fish and chips replaced for free, with Compare the Market putting up £1,000 to cover the cost of gull grabs while funds remain.

Charlie Evans, Money Expert at Compare the Market, said: “We’ve all been there - you sit down with your chips, look away for two seconds and suddenly your lunch has grown wings.

“Seagulls have long had a reputation for stealing right out of hands, so we wanted to find out just how much this cheeky seaside crime is costing Brits. It turns out seagulls aren’t just stealing our food - they’re making a meal of our money too.”