Seagulls – one sure sign that you have reached the coast and confirmation of your seaside holiday. However, visitors to Aldeburgh in Suffolk face penalties for showing affection to these local seabirds, with fines of up to £2,500 for sharing your fish & chips.

While some may consider the move to be extreme, the District and Town councils claim the area is ‘under siege’ from the peckish birds. Residents and visitors alike are being asked not to feed the birds, whilst street signs around the town warn of the massive fines for those who do.

The reasoning behind the move is that increasingly friendly seagulls are terrorising holidaymakers in their search for food. The district authorities claim the town is now akin to the Hitchcock movie, with the birds now classified as pests.

“The maximum fine might seem heavy-handed, but seagulls are a serious problem in Aldeburgh” said Viv Hotten, council spokesperson, adding “They get so used to scavenging chips that they swoop down and annoy people trying to eat on the beach. We just hope the signs will be a deterrent and people will use their common sense and dispose of their fish and chip papers properly in the bins provided.”

 A spokeswoman for TaxPayers Alliance called the new fines ‘ridiculous’. To date, nobody has been fined.

With thanks to www.dailymail.co.uk for the above information. For more details please refer to their website.