Story filed: 16:32 Tuesday 3rd July 2001

A woman says she has been driven from her East Sussex home by a vicious seagull.

Grace Amos, 86, is too scared to return to her home after the bird nearly knocked her over and cut her head.

The bird and its partner are said to have swooped on visitors to the house before the attack. Lewes District Council said they are "a serious public health issue".

(continued)

Mrs Amos, from Seaford, told the Brighton Evening Argus that she was going to collect her pension when she was attacked.

"It nearly knocked me over and I had to hang on to the gate to keep my balance. It felt as if someone had thrown a brick at me it was so painful."

She was helped to a doctor's surgery and needed stitches in her head, she said, and was now staying with nearby relatives.

"The wound was really deep. The whole of the seagull's beak seemed to have gone in my head," Mrs Amos added.

The council consulted with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs before deciding to hire a private contractor to "despatch" the gulls.

Killing the birds or removing them are being considered as options by the council.

A spokesman said: "We are not obliged to deal with aggressive birds, but this is an exceptional case, involving an attack on an elderly lady who is now afraid to stay alone in her home.

"It is a serious public health issue and we have decided to hire a private contractor to deal with the violent seagulls."

Copyright © 2001 Ananova Ltd

BACK to Animal Attack Files Index

Tell a Friend about the Animal Attack Files

Animal Attack
Books

Man-Eaters

American Man-killers

Bite Busters : How to Deal With Dog Attacks

Mad Dogs : The New Rabies Plague

Search Now:

Of Wolves and Men