A MAN is fuming after being slapped with a "rip off" £300 council fine for littering – but a seagull was the culprit.

Dana Dinho, shop manager at the ironically named Seagulls Food and Wine, in Hove, was stunned when he received the penalty for leaving rubbish outside the store.

The 36-year-old had put the bin bag in its allocated spot, but CCTV footage revealed a greedy gull was the perpetrator.

It turned out the nuisance bird had gone rummaging, leaving a mess of wrappers and scraps on the street.

After watching the video, a fuming Dana tried to appeal the hefty fine – but the council are adamant it was his fault.

The frustrated shop keeper told The Argus: “I was just trying to do the right thing. Only half of the rubbish was taken and then suddenly a seagull took one of the bags.

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“I was shocked when I saw the video. It’s so bad and this has never happened to me before.

“Small businesses can’t afford it. I’m frustrated with the council ripping me off, it’s like they don’t care about small businesses.”

However, Brighton and Hove City Councillor Tim Rowkins, insisted Dana was at fault for leaving the rubbish in a flimsy bag.

The councillor pointed out that pesky seagulls are a common problem in the area – and locals should be more vigilant.

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“And if you use a bin bag that can be ripped open by a seagull, then you just have to clear up the mess," he said.

"This applies to individual householders as well as business owners.

“Businesses have a legal duty to ensure they store their waste in a way that ensures pests and vermin cannot get at it."

He suggested all business owners to use proper bins, or hessian sacks.

“The council is trying very hard to keep the city clean and making sure that traders are fulfilling their responsibilities is part of our work to tidy up our streets," the councillor added.

“We take action in line with our agreed environmental protection policies when businesses fail in their legal duties in this regard.”

But, Dana claimed in the four years he has run his store, this issue has never occurred before.

Environmental enforcement officers are within their right to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice of £300 if a Waste Transfer Note or Duty of Care Certificate is not produced.

The document proves that responsibility has been taken for the rubbish to be transferred from the business to the waste collector.

This comes as seaside towns are being held hostage by mobs of psycho seagulls making the lives of locals hell.

Meanwhile, nesting seagulls in Kent, have shut a library for good by causing £2million worth of damage.

And, a Wetherspoon pub has gone to extreme measures to tackle the nuisance bird terrorising diners.

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