by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:15 PM ET, Fri June 3, 2016
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
A tourist in Devon, England, was attacked by a flock of sea gulls after he stopped for ice cream, but the biggest shock came when he received a fine for dropping his cone on the ground in order to get away from the birds.
According to FoxNews.com, Steve Higgins was on vacation in South Devon-where aggressive gulls have become an issue during the summer months-when he bought an ice cream cone at a local promenade.
As Higgins prepared to eat his ice cream, several sea gulls attempted to steal the food by launching themselves at the tourist. In response, Higgins dropped the cone and fled the scene to avoid any injuries.
Authorities from the 3GS Ethical Environmental Enforcement company saw the situation unfold and handed Higgins a fine for littering worth $115.
"The gulls had taken my ice-cream but had left me with the cone. I was scared that they would come back again, I was scared for my own safety," Higgins told FoxNews.com. "Within seconds I was slapped with an £80 fine for littering. I was a tourist, I don't live down there, I'm not aware of these things. If I had been aware I wouldn't be walking around outside with an ice-cream. I was physically assaulted, and I dropped the cone because I was scared for my own safety if they came back."
Following the incident, Higgins wrote to 3GS in hopes that they would reconsider the fine due to the circumstances, but the organization told him that the he violated a local littering policy and had to pay the price.
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