A piece of cake! Moment greedy seagull swoops down and steals woman's sweet treat from out of her hand

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This is the moment a greedy gull swoops down and steals a woman’s handful of cake.

She was seen eating the sweet treat before the bird approached from a nearby lamppost.

It came from behind her and pounced quick as a flash to take the snack from her grasp.

The man sitting next to her appeared nonplussed as he carried on eating his pie.

The incident happened in Lyme Regis, Dorset, where seagulls frequently dive-bomb tourists with food.

A beach-goer was left startled after having her cake stolen by a seagull on Lyme Regis beach

A beach-goer was left startled after having her cake stolen by a seagull on Lyme Regis beach

The woman was seen eating a cake before a seagull swooped in from a nearby lamppost at the Dorset seaside town

The woman was seen eating a cake before a seagull swooped in from a nearby lamppost at the Dorset seaside town

Photographer Graham Hunt said: 'There were quite a few seagulls flying around the beach. 'It came down and snatched the cake from her hand. She looked a little startled but the man she was with just carried on eating.'

Photographer Graham Hunt said: ‘There were quite a few seagulls flying around the beach. ‘It came down and snatched the cake from her hand. She looked a little startled but the man she was with just carried on eating.’

Photographer Graham Hunt said: ‘There were quite a few seagulls flying around the beach.

‘It came down and snatched the cake from her hand. She looked a little startled but the man she was with just carried on eating.’

Last month, a young Swedish girl had to be taken to hospital recently after being bitten by a gull that tried to take her croissant.

The girl suffered a cut to her hand and had to have a tetanus shot following the ambush.

One bystander said she saw a gull ‘stalk’ a woman as she left a bakery and pinch her cake.

Deb Morrison said: ‘A seagull literally stalked a lady coming out of the bakery and stole her cake.’

Matthew Lawrence said: ‘In Lyme Regis the seagull is king. They stole two ice creams from us yesterday.’

Gareth Evans added: ‘Bought sausage and chips in Lyme Regis today, immediately got robbed of the sausage by a seagull.’

Diggers moving rubbish surrounded by seagulls at Whinney Hill Landfill site operated by Suez

Diggers moving rubbish surrounded by seagulls at Whinney Hill Landfill site operated by Suez

Residents living in the area of Hyndburn, Lancashire, claim the 'apocalyptic' swarm of up to 3,000 seagulls has made it difficult to go outside

Residents living in the area of Hyndburn, Lancashire, claim the ‘apocalyptic’ swarm of up to 3,000 seagulls has made it difficult to go outside

The small bird was pecking away at some breadcrumbs before the vicious seagull divebombed and attempted to eat him

The small bird was pecking away at some breadcrumbs before the vicious seagull divebombed and attempted to eat him

Other visitors to Lyme Regis have reported having snacks like chips, cake and sausage rolls pinched from out of their hands by gulls.

Five years ago officials hired two bald eagles to defend their beaches.

The trial experiment saw a professional falconer walk up and down the prom with the birds of prey on his arm to deter the gulls.

Although the initiative worked, the council have been unable to repeat the measure due to a lack of funds.

Lyme Regis Town Council have also tried using gull-proof bins, flying drones and even employing bird handlers with hawks and eagles to scare off the gulls after complaints they were terrorising visitors. 

Steven the seagull is seen pinching a packet of crisps from the shelf of a shop

Steven the seagull is seen pinching a packet of crisps from the shelf of a shop 

The coastal town has an anti-social behaviour Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which makes it a civil offence to intentionally feed the gulls and anyone seen doing so can be issued a £100 fine.

Despite being a menace, seagulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal to kill or injure them.

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The seagulls wreaking havoc across Britain: From shoplifting to messing up kitchens

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In 2022 police launched an investigation after one harassed tourist attacked a gull with a cricket bat in Lyme Regis.

This comes amid reports of seagulls wreaking havoc across Britain this summer. 

From Dorset to Glasgow, dive-bombing menaces of the sky have been recorded swiping chips from unsuspecting seaside tourists. 

One Isle of Man business has even started offering seagull insurance to victims. 

Hawkins BBQ announced their £1 policy offering a free new meal to any punter who had been left traumatised by a gull nabbing their food – if they had taken out the coverage.  

Why have gulls become so bold around humans? 

Bird expert Dominic Couzens told MailOnline the smarmy seagulls were more intelligent than people gave them credit for and they were taking advantage of Brits’ forgiving nature.

Couzens said the fierce gulls had learned to target holidaymakers holding chips and ice creams – and suggested Brits only have themselves to blame.

The expert said: ‘They are not the problem. We are the problem. The reason herring gulls started eating chips is that people would leave them and not put them in bins.

‘If they come into town they are going to be more familiar with people. They are omnivores, very intelligent and will eat anything. 

‘They are opportunistic and extremely adaptable. If they are into a good thing, they will stick with it. 

‘They are being lazy – just taking opportunities when they present themselves. From their point of view it’s just doing what they do – what comes naturally to them.’