They are as much part and parcel of a day at the seaside as chips and ice cream.

But now a coastal resort's town council is asking visitors to stop feeding the seagulls.

Hunstanton Town Council says feeding the birds can have "negative impacts" on their welfare, the environment and public safety. 

"Gulls that are regularly fed can lose their natural fear of humans," it said in a statement.

"The result is they expect to be fed when they see humans eating, the birds become overfamiliar and in some cases, this may even include snatching food directly from people’s hands.

"This can lead to injuries and distress, particularly among children."

It adds feeding the birds can also cause them health problems, because it disrupts their natural foraging behaviour and can lead to local overpopulation.

"We understand that feeding gulls can seem like a fun activity, but it has serious repercussions,” said Robert Corby, chair of the council's environment committee.

"We urge everyone to enjoy the wildlife from a distance, gulls are a key part of our natural environment in Hunstanton, help them to thrive naturally and not become a nuisance by behaving responsibly with food."

The birds, which are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, are numerous around areas where people gather such as the seafront and Green.

The largest species, the Herring Gull, has declined by 40pc in recent years.

Despite this, there have been clashes causing feathers to fly elsewhere in Norfolk and further afield.

In 2018, a surge in seagull attacks at Great Yarmouth was blamed on a heatwave, which meant more chicks had fledged increasing competition for food.

The council there brought in a bird of prey handler to deter gulls from the area around the Market Place and launched a campaign to persuade people not to feed them.

The following year, David Cansick was attacked three times near his home on Blake Road by the same gull.

Different measures have been tried elsewhere to deter gulls from lacing bait with contraceptives in Belgium to a Cumbria businessman painting his roof red.

But after gull numbers tripled at Norwich Market a few years back, experts warned there was no solution.