A growing number of us have fallen victim or at least witnessed the heinous crimes committed by feathered friends.

It seems gulls have grown bolder and have now turned to mugging unsuspecting chip and ice cream eaters.

It is becoming a more common site to see gulls swoop down and grab a bag of chips or fly off with the vanilla scoop. But we can hardly blame the opportunistic birds as we encroach on their habitat and leave ourselves an easy target.

However, one food vendor has taken a novel approach to the problem by offering ‘seagull insurance’.

Hawkins BBQ food van is now offering customers the option of paying £1 for the insurance which means that, of a gull does steal their meal, they will be provided with a new one at no extra cost.

The vendor says it has seen other eateries offer the insurance in the UK and felt it was a great idea.

Posting on social media, Hawkins BBQ says: ‘I think it’s fair to say that many on the island have had one or two (traumatic) experiences with the islands enthusiastic seagulls - whether it’s being swooped on walking down Strand Street or attacked eating ice cream/gelato, we might have something for you!

‘Introducing the island’s first Manx Seagull Insurance! We recently saw the idea flourish across so we decided it’s a must for foodies here!

‘You can now purchase ‘seagull insurance’ for only £1, which means you get the replacement meal on the house.

‘We will also be donating all proceeds of this “policy” to Manx Wildlife Trust, who work tirelessly to protect the islands wildlife, including those pesky gulls.

‘Make sure you ask us for the protection the next time you visit and enjoy a delicious BBQ meal, stress free.’

We should have sympathy for our gull species which have been resorting to scavenging on human food due to loss of natural spaces and depleting fish stocks. This has led to many seaside towns warning people not to feed the gulls.

Seagulls is a generic term - not much liked by birders – with species including herring, black-backed and common gulls.

Scientists say what's thought of as nuisance behaviour is actually a sign of the gulls’ smartness and social learning skills. They may appear to be everywhere but gulls are actually a protected species due to dwindling numbers.