A FIERCE bird of prey brought in to rid the streets of a Scottish town of its notoriously tough seagulls has been left cowering after the birds ganged up on him.

Storm the Harris hawk was drafted in to Peterhead three weeks ago on the orders of Aberdeenshire Council after locals complained about being harassed by gulls.

But the seabirds turned the tables on their predator and have been filmed bullying the hawk while he huddles on a rooftop.

The council claims their actions are "false gull bravado" and have hailed the pilot project, which ended yesterday, as a huge success. Heather Barclay, project officer for Peterhead town centre, said: "It's really just false gull bravado.

"They swoop in and dive-bomb a few times, then fly further away, before slinking away quietly. Feedback from local people has been very positive."