Love them or loathe them, seagulls are forever hitting the headlines for their pesky antics along the county's coastline.

If you live in Kent, there's a strong chance you have had your fish and chips stolen at least once in your lifetime.

From dive-bombing antics to attacking pensioners, the birds are becoming increasingly unpopular - but are seagulls really evil, or just misunderstood? Here are some of Kent's finest.

1 - Sneaky seagull caught getting its rocks off

Apparently, it's not just chips that our lovely feathered friends like to steal, but ornamental stones too.

Cameras captured one of the wily birds picking them up in its beak at the Invicta Gas showroom in Whitstable.

The gull clearly knows it's up to no good - as it grabs the rocks before attempting to run away.

2 - Deal's dive-bombing birds

Seagulls were spotted swooping down to snatch food from the hands of Deal's high street shoppers in July.

A mum-of-two said her toddler son fell victim to the birds when strapped in his pushchair.

The gull snatched a sausage from his hands, and the mum couldn't believe he wasn't injured.

After posting about the attack on the Deal Watch Facebook group, she was met with a flurry of similar stories.

3 - The pint-sized seagull protector

It's not all bad news when it comes to Kent's seagulls.

Hope Cross was praised when she saved one of the controversial creatures.

The schoolgirl from Hawkinge worked with her mum Corrina to rescue the chick when it became stuck in her family's house guttering.

Her actions drew the attention of RSPCA volunteers, who said the six-year-old had a "great future working with animals".

4 - Grandmother forced to wear a colander

A grandmother was forced to protect herself from seagull attacks back in 2013 by wearing a colander on her head.

Dina Wilson, from Herne Bay, was dive-bombed by a bird nesting in her roof as she went to bring in her washing.

One attack even drew blood, as the creature pecked the then 71-year-old's scalp.

It happened after a chick fell out of its nest into the garden, and its mother swooped down to attack her.

At that time, Mrs Wilson called on the council to stop people feeding the birds.

5 - Seaside mural

Folkestone-based artist Leigh Mulley set out to paint the birds in a more positive light with her striking gull mural in October 2014.

Leigh, who volunteers for the Fur and Feature Wildlife Trust, painted the huge piece on the back of the old Metronome theatre in the St Eanswythe Way car park.

Speaking to our sister paper the Kentish Express at the time, she said: "I wanted my mural to address the very real issue of wild creatures who get needlessly persecuted.

"I thought that if I could just put a beautiful, impacting image out there, a stunning close up of the gull who lives on my roof relaxing, I might appeal to people to view them in a different way."

5 - Ex-Bill Oddie cameraman speaks out on seagulls

An ex-ITV cameraman who worked with Bill Oddie told how the coast's soaring number of seagulls needs to be curbed.

Derek Budd, 73, added "serious discussions" were needed to help manage population booms in Folkestone and Hythe.

He says feeding the gulls are encouraging them away from their natural habitat, impacting other species of wild bird.

Serious diseases can also be spread by the gulls, according to Mr Budd, as the opportunistic birds often scavenge open rubbish tips.

6 - The suspicious bread

Earlier this year, police were called to a street in Faversham after dog walkers found slices of bread dusted with a suspect white powder.

Officers removed the bread, dropped in Priory Close, Davington, which was thought to have been left for wildlife, possible seagulls.

It's possible someone had left the bread out in an attempt to target the birds, in a shocking attempt to reduce their numbers.

Deliberately poisoning a wild animal, including gulls, is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Residents were also concerned about the impact the powder could have had on dogs or children.

7 - When a shark fell from the sky

A man was left stunned after finding a shark in his back garden when it fell from the sky while he made a cup of tea.

James Hills, was in the kitchen of his family home in Tankerton in February when dad Colin alerted him to the two-foot long small-spotted catshark.

The pair believe it was picked up by an over-ambitious seagull that dropped it mid-flight.

Not exactly what you expect to see when you stick the kettle on.