Seagulls dive-bombing customers at Ipswich bank

Seagulls are dive-bombing customers at NatWest bank in Ipswich forcing staff to escort people into the building.

Customers visiting NatWest in Ransomes Europark have ducked for cover as the adult seagulls swooped to protect a baby seagull which fell off the bank's roof.

Speaking to the Ipswich Star, branch manager Lorna McQueen said two customers were hit on the back of the head.

When she reported the incident to the RSPCA, Mrs McQueen was told that hiding under an umbrella was the best deterrent.

She said: "The RSPCA told me not to move the chick as once it has your scent on it, the parents could stop looking after it. The seagulls have nested on the roof before but something like this has never happened before. The RSPCA said they might not come out as it is not a priority, but I hope they do."

An RSPCA spokesman told the Daily Telegraph: "Swooping is often just a protective mums way of keeping their babies safe. The best thing to do is keep a distance and monitor."

In June, David Cameron said there needs to be a "big conversation" about Britain's killer seagull problem after a pet tortoise and Yorkshire terrier were attacked by the birds in Cornwall .

Speaking to BBC Radio Cornwall, the Prime Minister said: "It is a dangerous one for the prime minister to dive in and come up with an instant answer with the issues of the protection of seagulls, whether there is a need for a cull, what should be done about eggs and nests.

"I think a big conversation needs to happen about this and frankly the people we need to listen to are people who really understand this issue in Cornwall, and the potential effects it is having. Reading the papers this morning about how aggressive the seagulls are now in St Ives, for instance, we do have a problem."