The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Steven Seagull stars in Angus heist flick
Arbroath Grenns staff cat’t stoy brazet bsre’s easly rases
Their steak bakes are a firm favourite and some would say it’s the donuts which are a main attraction.
But one of the most loyal regulars at the Arbroath branch of high street bakery chain Greggs is in and out as quick as a flash for a packet of crisps – without paying.
Often waiting patiently at the door of the shop on the High Street precinct side of the town’s Abbeygate centre, the familiar figure is one of the Angus town’s burgeoning seagull population.
And such is his penchant for sneaking in to grab a bag of salt and vinegar that he’s become known as Steven – in tribute to Hollywood action man Steven Seagal.
The actor made his 1988 debut in a movie called Above the Law, and the Angus shop’s winged warrior has shown he’s not keen on taking a place in the queue, or paying for his selection, with his daring daily raids.
A bag of salt and vinegar from the shop’s display stand is his usual choice, but he’s been known to take anything he can get his beak on before taking flight from the premises.
“We’ve been here four or five years and he’s been coming in for a lot of that time,” said one staff member.
“He’s got no fear and we have tried to stop him, but he’s just too quick.”
Regular witnesses to the daily heists have even suggested Steven is just a wing man – doing the daring deed for another feathered friend who he shares the savoury spoils with.
Despite the gallus gull’s growing celebrity status on the precinct, he is not the first airborne Angus intruder to make the news. In 2013, the birds became a pet hate for Montrose taxi driver Tommy Stewart when they started stealing his dog’s dinner.
He had been leaving his back door open for the dog to get in and out, but the patter of webbed feet was a giveaway that the gulls were aware of the prospect of an easy lunch.
Various measures have been deployed by local authorities to try to deter the winged menace, including an Angus nest removal scheme and the use of hawks in town centres such as Stonehaven.
But the problem remains a challenge for cash-strapped councils, with Angus alone spending hundreds of thousands of pounds since 2011 dealing with gulls.