West Bay: Mum, 42, rescues seagull from West Bay harbour

Inga Kuciauskiene jumped onto her paddleboard and raced to free the baby bird, which had got itself stuck in the harbour in a fishing line with two fishing hooks stuck in its body.

The 42-year-old was on holiday in West Bay with her husband Valdas and two daughters, Estera, 13 and Aida, nine.

Inga, who is originally from Lithuania and now lives in Newent, Gloucestershire, said she didn’t think twice about plunging into the muddy harbour waters to help the distressed bird.

She was walking past the harbour with her paddleboard when she was alerted to the situation.

Inga said: “As soon as a man came over and told me about the seagull I did not think, I could see the poor bird was struggling and needed help.

“I took my dress off as I had my bikini on underneath and I was lent some scissors. I put them in my mouth and used my hands to push myself out to where the seagull was. It was very sticky and muddy.

Inga carefully removes the line and hooks from the seagull (Image: Rob Young)

“The bird had a fishing line and hook attached around its beak and another between its toes.

“It was a young bird and it started pecking me and I said to him ‘stop pecking me I’m trying to help you.’ He was then so quiet and didn’t move at all. He was so good.”

By this time a crowd had gathered to watch Inga carry out her plucky rescue effort.

“As soon as I took the hooks out people starting shouting ‘well done, what a brave girl’.

“I lifted the seagull up and he just flew off. I cannot describe the feeling - it was just amazing,” she said.

Inga covered in mud after her rescue effort (Image: Rob Young)

Inga, who is a beautician with her own salon, was left covered in mud after her exploits and had to wash it all off in the sea.

“The girls turned around to me and said ‘mum, you’re a superhero’. I was also told I looked like Shrek with all the mud on me!” she said.

“There were a lot of people looking at me strangely when I was walking past them covered in mud!”

The seagull rescue, on September 2, was part of what Inga calls ‘an adventure’ instead of a holiday.

The family saw their campsite flooded out on their West Bay holiday (Image: Inga Kuciauskiene)

She and her family were staying at Britt Valley Campground, which was partially flooded out after the River Brit burst its banks.

“We were told about the river coming up and then it started coming and coming and I said ‘wow, we need to run and we were rushing around putting the tent away.”

Her dramatic time in West Bay certainly hasn’t put Inga off making a return visit to the resort.

She said: “From thinking we were going to have a quiet weekend it ended up being full of adventures, it was something we will never forget. We come to West Bay every year and we love it, we will definitely be back.”