Hundreds of children were given the day off school after seagulls began dive-bombing teachers in the playground.

Staff making their way to and from the building had to take cover under umbrellas.

The gulls went into attack mode after hatching chicks in their nests on the school roof.

Headteacher Sharie Coombes decided they posed such a danger to the 260 pupils at St Mark's CE School in Manor Road, Manor Farm, Brighton, she gave children the next day off.

Pupils were sent home on Monday with a letter asking their parents or carers to keep them away from school yesterday while the birds' nests were moved.

Teachers still went to school, braving the onslaught under their makeshift shields.

The letter said it was hoped the relocating exercise would be completed immediately so the children, aged between three and 12, could return today.

Anne Willson, of Manor Hill, Manor Farm, Brighton, has two children at the school. She said: "Apparently the seagulls have got a bit vicious. I heard that one of the birds began attacking the caretaker and the teachers were worried they would go for the kids."

Lesley King, from Whitehawk, whose son Jamie goes to the school, said: "It's a bit of a feeble excuse to keep the kids off school. They could have kept the kids inside surely."

Brighton and Hove City Council, which has a charter giving animals protection in addition to existing laws, applied to the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for a licence to humanely remove the gulls to a new nesting site.

A contractor was called in yesterday and under the guidance of the RSPB, work was begun to remove the gulls and their nests.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "We are removing them human-ely on health and safety grounds. The gulls were posing a possible threat to the children and as a result a decision was taken to close the school as a precaution."

Once the birds were removed the council was planning to put up netting and other deterrents to prevent the birds from nesting on the site again.

Roger Musselle, of Roger's Wildlife Rescue in Woodingdean, took in the three chicks and will release them in the rock pools in Peacehaven when they are grown.

He said: "The adults may tend to be a bit aggressive for a while, but when they realise their chicks have gone they will calm down.

"They may dive but I would be surprised if they actually hit anyone but it probably would be frightening for children."