This gull has a taste for irony as the 'brazen' bird was caught on CCTV shoplifting from Heron Foods - reportedly swiping 18 packets of crisps in a series of raids before moving onto flapjacks. The cheeky bird was captured on CCTV strolling into a Heron Foods branch, snatching a large pack of Ready Salted crisps and hurrying out while being chased by a member of staff.
The feathered shoplifter - now known by staff as Stephen - sauntered into the shop and helped himself to a salty snack for the third time that day - meaning the greedy gull got through 18 packets of crisps in one day. Footage shows the bold bird confidently entering the shop and heading straight for the display of crisps.
He then tries to pluck out a multipack of crisps from the shop display. After one failed attempt, Stephen the seagull manages to free a large pack of Ready Salted and make a dash for the door just as member of staff Maria spots him and gives chase.
Maria then beckons over fellow staff member Denise and the two look on as Stephen sits in the car park and tucks into his third salty snack of the day. Staff claim Stephen had already been in the shop twice that day and has been in three days in a row - coming in 'whenever he's peckish', according to manager, Julie Scorer.
Julie said: "He'd been in twice already that day and done exactly the same, so he had three multipacks of crisps that day. When I do my stock take and see it's down, I know it'll be because of Stephen the seagull. He's been in every day since, and cost us about £10 in stock so far.
"The following day we moved the stack of crisps to somewhere else in the shop, and he came in looking around, thinking, 'Where've they gone?'. So he went over to the Warburton's stand and walked out with a pack of bread buns.
"When we moved the crisps he went for the bread, and then when we moved the bread he went to the flapjacks and took one of them. He just has a look around and goes for the next thing. He's going down the aisles now.
"He got the flapjack today but he's not been in since, so he must be stuffed with that."
Julie, 53, said the feathered kleptomaniac has become a part of daily life for staff at the shop. Julie said: "He sits on my car every day or in the baskets at the front of the store. Now that we've got the warm weather we keep the doors open, so he just walks in and helps himself.
"He just comes in now when he's a bit peckish - he just walks in and gets what he wants, the little sod. It's a part time job just keeping an eye out for him.
"Seagulls are a part of daily life here in Filey, and they can be a bit of a nuisance, but it's hilarious just how brazen he is. We have to keep a look out for him, and I think we may have to get a water pistol."
Stephen's appetite for crisps and baked goods is starting to show, said Julie, and staff can now only hope that word hasn't spread among Filey's avian community about the easy pickings at Heron Foods. Julie said: "He's getting a big belly at the moment so he'll probably be taking some for his friends soon and feeding all his mates.
"We've had none of his friends in yet but that may be what's coming - he'll be bringing the whole family in next."
It comes as new research from Deliveroo reveals that nearly half (44%) of Brits have been concerned in the past about eating outside due to a fear of seagulls swooping in to steal their food. Deliveroo has also worked with a gull expert and sound engineers to create a brand new audio track called ‘Bye Gull Bye’, available to stream nationwide now on YouTube, designed to keep gulls away.
It has been curated in collaboration with Dr Madeleine Goumas, a researcher of urban herring gulls from the University of Exeter, who advised on the curation of the track in a safe way for seagulls, whilst protecting diners at the same time.
Dr Gouma said: “I partnered with Deliveroo to ensure the track was no harm to the seagulls and to use gull calls to ensure it is effective. Research supports the use of gull alarm calls for deterring gulls. This is the sound gulls make when they spot a predator, and it tells other gulls to keep away. We hope this track will allow people to eat their food in peace.”
