A beachgoer has been filmed as he is chased down by a flock of hungry seagulls hunting his chips.
The man could be seen bending down and trying to eat the chips quickly as he jogged along the pebbled seafront at Brighton.
Footage showed the alarmed man in white t-shirt and shorts guarding his food with his arms as the birds honed in on him and he darted around other visitors to the beach.
The stunned onlookers watched as over 20 seagulls were bearing down on him as he sought shelter.
Then realising he was unable to shrug off the gulls by running away he finally gave up and chucked the chips in the air for the predators to pounce on.
Other sun-seekers on Brighton beach looked on as the seagulls pecked into the chips.
A local resident, Tom, said: “Imagine accepting that you're prey to seagulls," while another Vanessa Grant claimed: "Welcome to the South East. They are a gang."
Lolly Hutton said: "Oh my gosh. I've been there with three seagulls, can you imagine a flock of them?"
There were plenty of other comments with one saying: "They’re evolving fast. Soon they’ll want equality."
And a further wrote about the way the man gave up his chips: "Schoolboy error."
It comes as people in Torquay are being subjected to a reign of terror by vicious seagulls who are making life miserable for holidaymakers and locals alike.
Locals and tourists in the popular seaside resort have blasted “burly” seagulls attacking members of the public and scattering rubbish through the streets.
Resident Suzanne Collins said: “I don't like them. They rip rubbish open and they attack people. They're just vermin basically. The rats are probably kinder than the seagulls are."
She added: “It was like a rubbish tip on Tuesday morning in my lane. One of the seagulls was actually dragging this rubbish bag across the road. They're strong."
Seagulls, like all wild birds and their nests in the UK, are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, but some disapprove of the law.
“They're protected and I just can't see why,” she said. “They kill badgers and every single year they breed and breed and there's just thousands more born every year.
"They cause people a lot of trouble. If you don't watch your food they just pinch it out your hand. They're just horrible. They fight each other as well."
