Crafty seagull swoops in to steal ‘£300 worth’ of crisps from Tesco

Serial thief has a taste for crisps and is said to favour Tangy Cheese Doritos

A Devon seagull is on the run after stealing £300 worth of crisps from a Tesco shop.

The crafty seagull, nicknamed Steven, cleverly worked out how the automatic doors at the store operated, locals say.

This allowed him to swoop in for multiple raids on the crisp section located next to the entrance.

In a video captured by a passerby, Steven was caught fleeing the store with a bag of what looked like Mini Cheddars.

He was apparently quick for staff who were blinded by his nimble footwork and he managed to escape down the high street in Paignton.

Steven's repeated offending means he is infamous among locals in the small seaside town.

It is said he can sometimes enter the store up to three times a day and favours Tangy Cheese Dorito but will sometimes settle for Monster Munch or Mini Cheddars, as he did in the video.

Staff at the shop estimate he has stolen around £300 in a year, although the true total could well be higher.

Liam Brown filmed Steven’s latest snatch and grab. He said: "I’ve seen him go in a few times.

"This time he hopped onto my car bonnet so I started recording – I knew he was up to something.

"He jumped down and started chewing gum off the floor, then he walked into the shop and ran off with a pack of Mini Cheddars."

A Tesco worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said his visits are a "daily occurrence".

She said: ‘It’s a common occurrence. We think it’s the same seagull.

"It happens at least once a day, often three times. He’s very fussy but Doritos are his favourite. We have to shoo him away because we don’t want to lose the stock. We’re always keeping an eye out".

Other locals familiar with Steven’s antics said they "couldn’t believe" he was still at it.

Jenni Elliott said: "I’ve seen this happen too. He flew off with a bag of Doritos and shared them with a mate on a roof over the road."