Cafe sells £1 ‘seagull insurance’ as 'terrifying' birds steal sandwiches at stunning Scottish beach

A sandwich business in St Andrews is looking to bring in a £1 'seagull insurance' on all purchases – as the birds steal food from up to 30 customers a day.

The owners of the Cheesy Toast Shack say they give free replacements to dozens of customers each day, due to seagulls swooping in, attacking people and stealing their newly-purchased food.

The business says this costs them hundreds of pounds a day – and are “desperate” for a solution. The owners are now “seriously considering” adding the gull insurance on every purchase to try to cover the losses caused by the winged menaces.

Tourist Erica Campbell is swooped on by seagulls while at The Cheesy Toasty Shack in St Andrews. Picture Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS

Cafe owner Kate Carter-Larg, 35, said: "The gulls are super aggressive and actually terrifying. We are a family run business and I can't just sit and watch a sandwich get stolen and not replace it, so I'll always give another for free.

"But it has been costing us a lot of money. People are even left bleeding after the gulls swoop for the food. We get old women emailing us saying 'I've nearly rolled my ankle because of seagulls'. We have children crying too from it.

"People will come to take photos of our sandwiches – and the minute they hold toastie up for a pic, all the seagulls dive bomb them. People are left bleeding, they really are a problem."

Ms Carter-Larg admits the seagull attacks have been 'increasingly' worse over the last three years.

The cafe owner and her husband Sam Larg, 39, have made various attempts to deter the gulls. From playing birds of prey noises, to buying a bird of prey kite on Amazon, the couple say they have exhausted almost every option, “apart from shooting them”.

Ms Carter-Larg said: "The bird noises were not the vibe we ideally wanted down at the beach, and the bird kite we bought didn't do anything. People will sit under them and the gulls will still keep attacking. We have been lost for what else we can do."

As the sandwiches are £6.75, Ms Carter-Larg highlighted the importance on encouraging people to buy out during challenging financial times, and explained why she feels even more responsible to ensure people get what they purchased.

She said: "If someone has come down to eat with us, treat themselves and families for the week or even for the month, it's a big deal. In the summer people are sometimes waiting up to an hour as it is a really really busy shop. I can't sit and watch it get stolen – it's such a horrible thing to happen, especially if it is a child."

Mr Larg came up with the idea of an optional “gull insurance” in a bid to still enable the family to replace customers' food, but also assist the business in their compassionate endeavours.

Ms Carter-Larg added: "Our business is super family-run. Sam and I run it, our kids are here almost everyday, Sam's cousin works in kitchen, everyone knows everyone. It's not just a faceless business and we want people to remember nice gestures people do."

The Cheesy Toast Shack was set up in 2015 originally as a street food trailer, travelling around festivals across the country. Their St Andrews Kiosk was then installed in 2018 – the same year the couple had their children. As well as their famous toasties, the sandwich shack also sell ice creams, coffees, milkshakes, cakes and merchandise.