Pinky, the seagull victim of cruel spray paint yobs

WE don’t usually have much of a soft spot for seagulls – especially when they swoop down to steal our chips.

But this individual looks a sorry sight after it was spray painted pink by cruel yobs in Barnstaple, North Devon. The RSPCA is worried about a backlash on the birds, which can be a nuisance to summer seaside crowds. ‘Sadly gulls do have a tough time at this time of year,’ said a spokesman, who warned that gulls are protected by law and appealed for information on attacks.

Hotel manager Karl Emmitt said the bird – nicknamed Pinky by locals – was the ‘talk of the town’.