Posties terrorised by swooping seagulls in Scottish town can’t deliver mail for fear of being attacked

Posties have stopped delivering mail to a row of houses after coming under attack by aggressive seagulls.

Royal Mail staff have been left injured and cowering in fear in their vans, residents have claimed.

Homeowners in the quiet street in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, have been forced to protect themselves with umbrellas.

School teachers David McArthur, 27, and Shona Penfold, 29, say the menace has had a negative impact on their summer break.

David, a PE teacher at a secondary school in the town, said: “We’ve not had mail in weeks. Last year, one of the posties was pecked by a gull.

“And this year, one twisted his ankle running away from them. We’ve had days where the posties have stayed in their van and beeped the horn for us to run out and get the mail.

“But now they don’t even deliver and we need to pick it up at the Royal Mail office.

“The mail has a note which says they couldn’t deliver because of seagull attacks.

“I can understand it as the birds can be aggressive and have gone for me.

“When we go to the car, we need to take out an umbrella to fend them off.

“They swoop down on my head and pass really closely. We had a barbecue recently and had to end it early because of the swooping birds.

“Our friends thought we had been joking about it until then.”

The attacks are believed to be linked to a nest in the couple’s neighbours’ home.

Experts say the birds are displaying standard behaviour in guarding their offspring.

Modern studies teacher Shona said: “They’ve been really aggressive but are obviously just protective parents.”

This summer has seen a spate of seagull attacks.

In Devon, one was blamed for carrying away a woman’s pet chihuahua dog.

A pensioner in Cumbria said seagull attacks forced him to be a prisoner in his own home for a week. But a leading expert on the species said the birds’ attacks would be temporary.

Scientist Peter Rock said: “You only really see behaviour like this in a couple of weeks in July and the start of August.

“And it’s just as their young are getting ready to leave the nest. When they swoop down on you from the front they aren’t actually attacking you. It’s more of a warning.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said some homes have not received mail because of seagulls.

She added: “The safety of our people is paramount.

“Our postmen and women can experience difficulties in some areas due to swooping attacks by seagulls.”