This naughty seagull stuck its beak into an unsuspecting woman’s bag of snacks.

Jennie Dack from Brighton was strolling along Brighton seafront when the plucky seagull swooped on her snack and made away with a doughnut she had bought from Palace Pier.

The unsuspecting Mrs Dack was taken completely by surprise.

She said: “I was walking with some hot doughnuts when I felt a rush of air over my shoulder.

“The cheeky thing swooped down and took my doughnut.

“But I won’t hold anything against the cheeky thief. I love herring gulls.”

Her other half, photographer at The Argus Simon Dack, was on hand to capture the moment.

While some might see seagulls as a pest, it could not be further from the truth for the Dack family.

Mr Dack said: “She really does like her seagulls but one day I’m sure she’ll regret it.

“She did let out a screech as this thing swooped down, and if there’s one thing Mrs Dack doesn’t like – it’s having her doughnuts pinched.”

Their love for seagulls stems from Fred the friendly herring gull, who is so at home in the gardens of Attree Drive, Brighton, that he will nowhappily be fed by hand and even mixes with cats and dogs.

Mr Dack said: “He’s a bit of a personality and very friendly – he will come and sit with you in the garden. He also hops from one garden to the other.

“Our next-door-neighbour Jane has known him for more than 30 years.

“She started calling him Fred some time ago and the name stuck.”

Mr Dack has lived in Attree Drive, near Queens Park, for 27 years.

Fred has been there the whole time, although the Dack family has only got to know him over the last ten years.

The European herring gull (larus argentatus) is a large gull (up to 26 in (66 cm) long). Some migrate south in the winter but many stay put in the British Isles all year round.