Grace Amos was attacked by a seagull which pecked her so severely she needed stitches in a head wound.

Now the 86-year-old woman is too frightened to return to her home in Seaford until the bird is removed.

Although it is legal to eliminate aggressive sea birds, no one is prepared to cull the gull and bird lovers would not like it either.

Judging from experience in Brighton and Hove recently, during refuse problems, the solution is to put a bin bag full of rotting food nearby and then the gull will be too busy to bother Mrs Amos or anyone else.