Eastbourne Seagulls Deny Deliberately Targeting People Who Have Just Washed Their Cars

By Sally Squawks, Seagull Affairs Correspondent

EASTBOURNE — Eastbourne's seagull community has rejected accusations that it deliberately targets vehicles immediately after their owners have washed them.

Residents claim attacks frequently occur within minutes of cleaning a car, often before the bucket has been put away.

Langney resident Paul Harris spent two hours cleaning his Ford Focus on Sunday.

"It looked beautiful," he said.

"I stood back to admire it.

"Then I heard wings."

Approximately eleven seconds later, the bonnet had been hit.

"It wasn't random," Harris insisted.

"He looked directly at me afterwards."

Representatives for Eastbourne's gull population strongly denied any coordinated campaign.

"Thousands of vehicles are available to us every day," a spokesperson said.

"The suggestion that we specifically select clean ones is ridiculous."

Asked why dirty vehicles appeared significantly less affected, the spokesperson declined to comment.

Local residents remain suspicious.

"They know," said Caroline Hughes.

"I hadn't washed mine for six months and nothing happened.

"Took it through the car wash on Saturday and got hit before I'd reached home."

The Seagull Times understands several birds have recently been observed gathering near local hand car washes.

Gull representatives insist they were merely "resting."

At the time of publication, Mr Harris had washed his Ford Focus again.

He described the decision as "probably a mistake."