A food truck on the Isle of Man is offering customers the option of purchasing insurance in case their meal is stolen by the local seagull population. 

Like in Ireland, seagulls are protected by law on the Isle of Man and enjoy supplementing their traditional diet with the tasty treats on offer at local restaurants and cafés.

Hawkins BBQ co-owner Charlotte Paige Smith believes their population has grown recently and claims they have also become “quite aggressive”.

Often they swoop down suddenly to snatch food from her customers but she and her business partner have devised a solution.

“We have created… a seagull insurance where you pay £1 to cover your meal and that’ll ensure if a seagull swoops, you get another free meal on the house,” Ms Paige Smith told Lunchtime Live.

“And all proceeds go to the Manx Wildlife charity - which is a local charity.”

Ms Paige Smith described seagulls on the Isle of Man as “the size of cats” and said many people find them very intimidating to be around.

“I literally call them ‘flying cats’ - they have given me a fear of flying things because they’re quite scary,” she said.

“But in the same breath, they are protected, we need to live in harmony with them, we don’t want any sort of culling.

“We want to live with them and that’s why I think the policy is so great.”

Seagulls begging for food. Picture by: Alamy.com

Ms Paige Smith said Manx people pride themselves on their honesty and she hopes people will not take advantage of the policy.

“It’s a really great community,” she said.

“We’re hoping people won’t take advantage of what we’re trying to do for charity.”

The policy will be officially launched tomorrow and Ms Paige Smith expects it will prove popular with her customers.

“We are on Douglas Promenade - which is a prime seagull spot,” she said.

“We already have pre-orders - about eight people have contacted us via social media saying, ‘Please can I get my [£1] policy in place.’

“So far the response has been amazing.”

According to Rentokil Pest Control manager Colm Moore, seagulls become most aggressive in spring because they have chicks to look after.

Main image: Charlotte Paige Smith, Co-Owner of Hawkins BBQ. Image: Supplied.