Bristol commuters were left horrified when a bloodthirsty seagull brutally attacked a pigeon at a city railway station and ate it alive in front of them.

The gull dive-bombed the unsuspecting pigeon at Temple Meads station and then pecked it into submission on a platform as sickened passengers on a stationary train watched.

The pigeon helplessly flapped its wings in a desperate bid to escape but eventually ended up falling on to the tracks below.

The seagull swooped in and began pecking the pigeon as it sat on a platform at Temple Meads railway station in Bristol on Sunday evening, to the horror of commuters looking on

One onlooker filmed the brutal attack as others can be heard saying 'oh no he just killed it' and 'Oh my God' as the attack continued for several minutes on Sunday evening.

But instead of giving up after the pigeon struggled to safety, the savage seagull followed it down onto the tracks, cornering it between two wooden slats.

Onlookers said that, at one point, the killer bird flew away to let a train pass.

But they were disgusted when it returned shortly afterwards to continue pecking at the bloodied pigeon - and proceeded to eat its insides.

Giulia Crouch, 24, who watched from a train nearby said: 'I've never seen anything like it. It was gruesome. I was incredulous.'

The 24-year-old, who was travelling through Bristol on her way to London Paddington, was on the phone to a friend but hung up to film the attack.

'I saw a seagull swoop down and peck a pigeon on the platform,' she said.

'I thought the seagull was trying to move the pigeon away from some food it wanted to nab but it kept aggressively jabbing the pigeon with its beak

'It then got the pigeon by the neck and began violently shaking it.'

The smaller bird tried desperately to escape but the savage gull chased it onto the tracks

Passengers on the train could be heard saying 'it's going to eat it alive', while other commuters on the platform tried in vain to stop the attack.

'The pigeon didn't stand a chance, the seagull was obviously really hungry,' Miss Crouch added.

'The seagull just started eating the pigeon's insides, its beak was covered in blood. It seemed to take absolutely ages for the pigeon to die.

'People were shocked but couldn't stop watching. You could hear everyone on the carriage talking about it.'

Miss Crouch added: 'I didn't know seagulls were such ruthless killers. I'm glad I was in the safety of the train because I would have been scared had I been too close.'