IS this the solution to having food snatched away on the seafront?

The team at Hastings Adventure Golf has tried various ways to fend off chip-thieving gulls.

They tried flying reflective ribbons and putting up a pole with a fake bird that flapped around in the wind.

They even tried installing an alarm on the roof of their building which emitted the sound of a seagull in distress.

But nothing seemed to be effective in deterring the large number of birds that congregated at their venue on a daily basis.

So, on a mission to let their customers enjoy their fish and chips in peace, they enlisted the help of a real-life hawk.

Clyde, a female harris hawk, visits the golf complex four times a week with her falconer during the busy lunch period.

And when she is in situ, the gulls keep their distance.

Simon Tompkins, general manager at Hastings Adventure Golf, said: “We are right on the seafront so we get a lot of seagulls here.

“One minute there might be ten seagulls, but the next there’s 100 of them.

“They steal food, attack young children eating ice creams, attack people eating at tables.

“They are scavengers, that’s what they do.

“It’s worse when they have their young.

“Having Clyde here has reduced the numbers massively.

“She sometimes flies around but usually sits with her handler.

“As soon as the falconer’s car pulls in, the seagulls start going berserk and disperse.

“I think they know that the food chain means they would be eaten by the hawk and are scared.

“Even for around an hour after she’s gone, there is a knock-on effect and the seagulls are wary.”

Clyde is on duty on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Callam McHugh, a golf clerk at the complex, said: “We operate a large site and we get massive amounts of seagulls here.

“The other things we tried did work but not very well, as when the seagulls were squawking they couldn’t hear the alarm.

“Hiring a hawk does a very good job, but it’s also the most expensive method.”

Steven Charlton, master falconer at Sussex Falconry, said: “The golf complex contacted us about the problem last year when a young child was attacked by a gull and his cheek was cut open.

“Across the whole of the United Kingdom, gulls are actively attacking people for food and the problem is increasing with adults teaching the youngsters to do it.

“Really though, human beings created the problem by leaving food on tables.

“We take Clyde and a saker falcon called Hyde and it creates a gull-free zone for about 200 metres.

“We only fly Clyde in a controlled way as she is a bird of prey, but she is always well fed so wouldn’t go for a gull.”