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BRITAIN'S scrounging seagull population are putting themselves at risk after piling on the pounds from indulging in too many takeaways.

The new study by a British university into the eating habits of urban gulls say gulls are eating so much human food they're bound for chronic health problems.

Those feeding along the British coastlines are now said to be eating human food such as discarded burgers, pastries and other fatty snacks.

Marine biologist Dr Jonathan Green said: “The urban birds are eating more human food – and it’s possible they could gain weight or suffer chronic illnesses or heart disease in the future.”

The warning came after researchers studied the food consumed by black-headed gulls at 11 feeding points along the Merseyside coast.

They were offered a choice of man-made white bread or natural fish.

(Image: Mirrorpix)

In Banks, near Southport – the most rural of the 11 study points – the birds chose fish 80 percent of the time.

But at the most urban site in Crosby, the gulls opted for bread in 95 percent of cases.

Dr Green told the Liverpool Echo : “People think of gulls as pests in the urban environment, but urban breeding and foraging areas have become really important sites for these highly intelligent and adaptable species, which are otherwise in decline.

“Our work shows the importance of conserving natural food supplies, as ultimately these will provide more stable and sustainable habitats for these birds.

“These results came out of two under-graduate student projects and we are really proud of the hard work they put in and these very interesting findings.”

The findings were published in the journal of the British Trust for Ornithology.

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