Would you pay £1 to protect your lunch from hungry gulls?

boy and seagull at beach with chips.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Gulls are known to steal people's food at the beach

Picture this - you're enjoying a lovely summer's day at the beach, listening to the calming waves and tucking into a delicious portion of hot chips before the worst happens... a hungry gull comes and steals your food!

The scenario is all too common, but one food truck owner from the Isle of Man is trying to tackle the problem in a unique way.

She's offering her customers the option to take out "seagull insurance", which means they'll can replace any swiftly snatched snacks for just £1 a day.

Co-owner Charlotte said she decided to introduce the optional fee last week after being inspired by a Scottish trader who was facing similar issues.

She said her business had launched the insurance after noticing an increase in the number of food thefts by gulls.

Charlotte said that up to three customers a week had been "attacked" for their food at coastal locations.

The food truck owner said she wants "customers to be able to have their food in peace".

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Would you pay "seagull insurance"?

Money raised from the unique initiative will be donated to the Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) which is a nature conservation charity.

"We don’t want to fight them, we want to live with them," said Charlotte.

She hopes any money raised for the charity will also be used to help protect gulls.

"As much as they sometime terrorise customers, they are part of our culture and we need to do out part and keep that ecosystem going," she said.