Seagull photobombs woman and steals her lobster roll

‘It all happened so fast,’ says Alicia Jessop whose food was snaffled

A seagull swoops to rob Alicia Jessop of her lobster roll (AP)

An ordinary holiday snapshot has become an internet hit thanks to a photobombing seagull.

When Alicia Jessop visited the state of Maine for the first time to sample a lobster roll, she felt the experience “needed to be documented”.

But while she was preparing to photograph her lunch in front of the scenic shoreline and Nubble Lighthouse in York, a seagull struck, tearing it from her grasp.

She said: ”It was the most picturesque place. You’re standing on the seashore overlooking the lighthouse. I don’t really take a lot of food pictures, but I knew this needed to be documented.”

She spent some 20 seconds composing her image for Instagram before the winged marauder made its move.

“I was really embarrassed. You hear stories of people taking crazy Instagram pictures and hurting themselves and I was like, ‘Oh my God, you are now that person,’” she added.

The thieving seabird cost her an additional $21.50 (£16.96) for a second roll.

“I hadn’t even seen it coming,” Ms Jessop said. “It’s a really smart bird and it all happened so fast.”

The only photo she had managed to capture was the split-second in which the seagull swooped in.

Within half an hour of posting it on Twitter, Ms Jessop discovered that thousands of people had “liked” it.

The image has since garnered more than 190,000 likes.