We’ve all been there - it's a hot summer’s day, your eyes (and nose) turn to the fish and chip shop, and you decide to dine al fresco on the beach. But your eyes aren’t the only ones on your summer-time feast - the beady eyes of a seagull have spotted your chips from miles away and are closing in, thieving beaks at the ready.
A new survey has revealed that a whopping 53% of Brits have suffered the experience of losing food to a pesky seagull robbery. This summer, Deliveroo is swooping in to protect the essential summer ritual of having fish and chips with the launch of ‘Chipwatch’ - a security team that will protect your battered haddock from hungry birds.
Not only will Chipwatch team members be armed with reflective umbrellas and decoy hawks, but they’re also protecting our food from these seaside robbers with a new seagull-deterring track called ‘Bye Gull Bye’. Deliveroo has teamed up with Dr Madeleine Goumas, a researcher of urban herring gulls from the University of Exeter, to curate a bespoke track that will protect diners while making sure the track doesn’t harm the gulls in any way.
‘Research supports the use of gull alarm calls for deterring gulls,’ Dr Goumas explains. ‘This is the sound gulls make when they spot a predator, and it tells other gulls to keep away.’
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The scheme is launching on Brighton beach on 22 July and Scarborough beach on 24 July with beachgoers able to enter Chipwatch zones on a first-come-first-served basis. Alongside the track being played, a patrolling team will be on hand to fight off the seagulls, so you can enjoy your meal without the fear of a surprise attack. Thankfully the song is also available to stream nationwide on Youtube and Spotify so you can create your own seagull-free zone whether you are eating at the beach, park or in your own back garden.
Fear no more, summer days (and our chips) have been saved.
And if you fancy a trip down to Brighton, why not start your day off with a seaside brunch from our guide to the best brunch in Brighton?