Have you ever been attacked by a seagull? Well, according to a new survey from WhichBingo, 43% of Brits have.
With growing conversations around the term “XL Gullies”, the team ran a survey consisting of 2,000 Brits, to discover the seagull attack hotspots of the UK.
In this pitch, there are three key sections:
- The top 15 seagull attack hotspots of the UK.
- The most common reason for being attacked by a seagull.
- The most common injuries received from seagull attacks.
These are the key findings:
- Over 2 in 5 people have fell victim to a seagull attack.
- Brighton ranks #1 for seagull attacks across the UK.
- Around 1 in 10 people attacked have lost a personal item (phone, wallet, keys).
- Almost 1 in 3 attacks have resulted in a cut head.
Aberystwyth North Beach and Tenby North Beach rank among the top seagull attack hotspots in the UK, with 12.56% and 11.23% of participants having experienced a run-in with the gulls there (see below).
Below ranks the top 15 beach holiday locations in order of seagull attacks (%):
|
Rank |
Beach Holiday Location |
Attacked by a Seagull(s) |
|
1 |
Brighton |
19.92% |
|
2 |
Blackpool Beach, Blackpool |
18.93% |
|
3 |
Scarborough |
17.76% |
|
4 |
Cleethorpes Beach, Lincolnshire |
17.12% |
|
5 |
Padstow Beach, Cornwall |
16.68% |
|
6 |
Skegness |
16.45% |
|
7 |
Wembury, Plymouth |
16.31% |
|
8 |
Whitby Beach, Whitby |
15.65% |
|
9 |
Newquay Beach, Newquay |
14.24% |
|
10 |
Filey, Yorkshire |
14.23% |
|
11 |
Weston Super Mare |
13.34% |
|
12 |
Portobello Beach, Edinburgh |
13.34% |
|
13 |
Aberystwyth North Beach, Wales |
12.56% |
|
14 |
St. Ives, Cornwall |
12.21% |
|
15 |
Tenby North Beach, Wales |
11.23% |
Spokesman Charlie Shakespeare said: “Our research shows almost half of all UK holiday makers have had a run in with aggressive seagulls.
“Whether they are stealing chips, dive-bombing loved pets or grabbing anything they can get their beaks on they have become a real seaside menace. Unfortunately, nothing discourages them and they seem to be getting bolder than ever.”
When diving into the data, we can reveal the top reasons for attacks across the UK:
|
Rank |
What did the attacking Seagull do? |
Attacked % |
|
1 |
Chips stolen |
65.66% |
|
2 |
Ice Cream stolen |
42.45% |
|
3 |
Attacked Dog |
23.23% |
|
4 |
Stolen Personal Item (Phone, Wallet, Keys) |
11.01% |
|
5 |
Picnic Food stolen |
14.56% |
|
6 |
Stolen Clothing |
8.92% |
And also the top injuries unsuspecting people have experienced:
|
Rank |
If you received injuries from the Seagull attack, what were they? |
Injury % |
|
1 |
Hair Bitten, Tugged Out |
34.51% |
|
2 |
Head Cut |
28.76% |
|
3 |
Cut fingers |
25.89% |
|
4 |
Cut Leg |
16.34% |
|
5 |
Cut / Injured Ear |
12.22% |
|
6 |
Cut Lips |
7.82% |
|
7 |
Cut Tongue |
5.23% |
|
8 |
Broken fingers |
2.34% |
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