A BLIND Barry grandmother has urged the Vale Council to install warning signs in public spaces after a seagull attack knocked her to the ground on King Square.

Hayley Selby called for residents to dispose of waste responsibly and recycle where possible to reduce the threat from the opportunist birds as they move further inland.

Mrs Selby, of Dobbins Road, was targeted after she walked to the Square from the Subway store, on Holton Road, after 10.30am on Tuesday, June 21 - when the weekly outdoor market was in progress.

Mrs Selby, 50, who is registered blind, said: “I put the Subway in my mouth and the seagull came down. I had one on my hand and one took the thing. I fell over. It was scary. I have angina, I was in pain.”

A good samaritan on the Square came to her assistance and took care of her along with two police officers who wanted to call an ambulance to take her to the hospital. Mrs Selby opted to go home to recover from the shock.

Mrs Selby said: “My concern is for the OAPs and children. I was frightened to death. I’m never going to walk on the Square and I’ll never eat on the street again.

"The seagulls have got aggressive. They should put signs up - ‘Don’t feed the birds’. I couldn’t see them coming. It was awful.”

Vale council cabinet member for visible, leisure and regulatory services, cllr Gwyn John said: "Feeding seagulls provides an additional food source and encourages more breeding pairs to nest in the area. It is then, that we experience more instances of seagulls aggressively taking food.

“We would urge visitors and residents not to feed the seagulls and to make sure that they responsibly dispose of food containers and rubbish in the litter bins provided.

"As with Barry Island, the council will keep a close eye on the bird numbers in the town centre and the council’s waste and recycling team will provide additional information for residents on how to recycle sensibly and will also work closely with residents where there are any recycling concerns.”