A Hove woman has been attacked by nesting seagulls in her back garden so many times, she now wears a hard hat to hang out the washing.

After setting up home in Rosemary Howat's back garden, a family of seagulls have been making their presence more than felt.

It started off with a male and female herring gull but now the offspring have arrived and it's all gone territorial.

Every time Mrs Howat ventures into her garden she has to wear a hard hat to protect herself as the parents attack whenever she goes near the two chicks.

In scenes reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, the gulls sit waiting and watching on the garden wall or on the roof for any signs of trouble.

Even just the simple job of hanging out the washing can turn into an ugly scene for Mrs Howat, who has been pecked on the hand, with the gulls also going for her toes.

She has also had to dive for cover when faced with angry screeches and squawks if she wanders too close to the nest.

Her pet cat is too scared to go out and the gulls are even bold enough to walk into the kitchen and steal food from its bowl whenever they fancy.

Mrs Howat's unwelcome guests turned up at her house in Livingstone Road, Hove, at the start of May and built a nest on the ground.

The chicks hatched four weeks ago and since their arrival the adults have become fiercely protective.

Mrs Howat, 68, said: “I know they are just protecting their chicks but it has caused a lot of disruption. I feel sorry for the cat, who just won t go out any more. It s too scared.

“They are always hanging around and are ready to go for you. They have got used to me a little bit but if they see a stranger they go mad.

“I have fed them a little bit because I love animals and I don't want the chicks to die or anything like that but I will be really glad when they go.”

The end may be in sight for Mrs Howat as most chicks tend to learn to fly after 42 days and so she will finally get her garden back.

Experts say it is extremely unusual for the birds to nest on the ground because they normally choose the highest point they can find.

All kinds of seagulls are protected so their eggs and nests need looking after. Moving a nest could result in a £ 5,000 fine or up to six months in jail.