'XL gullies' - Giant seagulls take over Liverpool city centre as residents fear for their food

Huge seagulls have reportedly been terrorising hungry Liverpudlians, swooping down and stealing their food. While gulls aren't uncommon in the city, residents have shared concerns about the larger and more 'skilled' birds, dubbed 'XL Gullies'.

One local told LiverpoolWorld she believes the gulls have 'developed the skill to purposely attack people' on the Strand, while another noted that Greggs stores are a particular hotspot, with the birds taking sausage rolls right out of peoples' hands.

Sharing her terrible experience with an XL Gully, Seveřany Mejkpísová said: "I went to Tesco for a snack. I went out, opened the sandwich, had a first bite while crossing the Strand and got hit on my head from the back. Of course, it shocked me and I dropped the sandwich. So, the seagull flew over me and got his loot. I bet all the drivers had quite the laugh seeing the scenery."

Others, however, don't think the antics of the seagulls is anything new, with one woman commenting: "Been terrorising the city for years." Another said: "Funniest I saw was years ago... saw a huge seagull chasing quite a big lad down the street, he ran in the Slaughter House to get away, imagine telling your Mrs I was late cause a seagull chased me into the pub."

We headed to Greggs at dinner time on Thursday (March 28) to see the huge birds for ourselves, and while there were a number of gulls guarding the store and closely watching people eat, we didn't see any food theft occur. One man even managed to eat an entire pizza slice right next to a bird, completely unscathed.

Watch the full video above.