A brazen gull caused a surprise in Ipswich when it swooped and stole a hotdog from the popular Cornhill cart.

The cheeky gull nicked the sausage from Hot Sausage Company owner Andrew Bavington-Barber – flying onto the counter before grabbing a sizzling dog from the grill.

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One passer-by laughed "I can't believe that just happened!", as Mr Bavington-Barber joked about the sausage being too hot for the burgling bird.

Mr Bavington-Barber's son, co-owner Josh, said the seagull soon learned it's wise to let your food cool down before gulping it.

He said: "The seagulls are always around, but there seems to be a lot more recently.

"They have tried it before, one once took a frozen sausage off me. They're just so big though – when you are confronted with one that close, with the size of their wingspan, it does daunt you a bit.

"He made off with a little sausage this time."

Mr Bavington-Barber added that surfaces were thoroughly cleaned following the unexpected visit, with all food it came into contact with thrown away.