Dive-bombing seagulls have transformed a north London street into “something out of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds”, say residents in the area.

Locals in Shelburne Road, Holloway described how the flock had nested on the rooftops of homes and offices, had been attacking elderly people as well as children — and more bizarrely anyone wearing red.

Some residents say their unruly neighbours have made it increasingly difficult to sleep, particularly during the hot spell, because of the racket they make.

Other people have complained about the mess made by the birds, which are thought to be herring gulls, and are demanding official action to put an end to the assaults.

“They’ve woken us in the night, around 3am, as they fight with the foxes,” explained one local Natalie Gerogin.

“There are two I see every day on chimneys at opposite sides of the road and they both pick who they want to attack,” Gerogin added.

Referring to the 1963 movie about a community under attack by birds, Jane Musgrove said: “It’s like Hitchcock come real. It’s The Birds all over again. They dive-bomb you, all feet and beak. We’re the endangered ones here.”

Experts say numbers of urban seagulls are on the rise because nesting on the roofs of offices and houses means the birds can avoid predators such as foxes, ultimately allowing more of their chicks to survive. Unwanted food deposited on urban streets provides a ready supply of meals.

Earlier in the month, Fianna Fáil Senator Ned O'Sullivan made calls for an action plan to be put in place to deal with raucous seagulls who had 'lost the run of themselves'.