Horrified families say they witnessed a member of the yob's family repeatedly hurl cans of fizzy drink at the bird before the yob battered it with the spade. The witness says she and a family member confronted the group only to be verbally abused by them.

       The violence was reported to police on Saturday, who say they arrived at Porthgwidden Beach in St Ives, Cornwall, to find the group had dispersed.

       Speaking to Cornwall Live, one disgusted beachgoer said: "We have just witnessed a family throwing Coke cans at a seagull, then as if this wasn’t bad enough, because one was badly injured from the can throwing, one of the men beat it to death with a kids' spade in front of all of our children and a whole beach full of families.

       "We then confronted them to state how disgusted we were with their behaviour, to be verbally abused by them.

       "They left the beach, leaving behind rubbish, towels and sunscreen.

       "The police have been called but not much they can do without a name and address.

       "It was absolutely awful. In my whole life I have never witnessed that kind of violence against an animal."

       The witness snapped photos of the man who allegedly attacked the seagull and of the litter the group reportedly left behind.

       She has praised another man, who was not with the group in question, for picking up the dead seagull and moving it away from distressed children who witnessed the ordeal.

       The beach was packed with families on Saturday as temperatures in the southwest shot to a glorious 30C.

       The horror is said to have happened at around 5.30pm, but Devon and Cornwall Police has not yet been able to confirm that the matter is being investigated.

       Seagulls are legally protected birds and, while they have a reputation as pests, it is illegal to intentionally kill, take or injure gulls or their eggs.

       The RSPCA says: "Gulls and their nests are protected by law: like all wild birds, gulls, their chicks and their nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

       "This means it's illegal to intentionally kill, take or injure gulls, take or destroy their eggs, or damage or destroy any gull nests while they're in use or being built - unless you're acting under licence.

       "Although gulls are a common sight in many areas near the coast, some species of gull, such as herring gulls and kittiwakes, are actually on the UK Red List.

       "They're considered species of conservation concern in the UK because there's evidence suggesting that their populations are in decline overall."