Fears in Dulwich after spate of violent crow attacks

One schoolgirl was left bleeding after a recent incident in Dulwich, while a pram-pushing mother was seen fleeing from a crow in another ambush.

A video also shows a cyclist being chased by two persistent crows and letting out a cry as one attacks him.

Nearly 10 incidents have been reported since last year - with bald men said to be the most frequently targeted.

Residents are now being advised to carry umbrellas to avoid injury - with one mum even wearing a bike helmet for extra safety.

Dulwich has long been regarded as one of the most upmarket neighbourhoods in the south of the capital.

Celebrities such as Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, ex-BBC newsreader Huw Edwards and former prime minister Margaret Thatcher are all said to have called the area home.

But overprotective crows wary of their young fledglings have built a reputation for attacking passing locals on leafy Townley Road.

Crows' nesting season occurs between spring and the start of summer each year.

During this period, parents can turn violent to protect against potential threats to their offspring.

Studies have shown they can recognise individual human faces and even choose to target them.

Bridget Furst, chair of the Dulwich Residents' Association, visited Townley Road last week after being alerted to the recent spate of attacks - and witnessed one herself.

"You can see the crows circling around," she said. "They sit in the trees over the playing fields.

"As I turned into Townley Road a woman was running away. She had a kid in a buggy and was looking over her shoulder.

"She was running so fast we couldn't stop to talk to her - the crow was just behind her.

"Last year someone was sent to hospital after having his head pecked. And that attack on the girl who was pecked on the head recently was horrible.

"There's a big crow nest near to where I live, but you never get these sorts of problems.

"It's very strange...It's these particular, aggressive crows that have caused people fear over the last two years.

"There has been a warning put out about going down Townley Road with food, and people should perhaps take an umbrella with them."

Alison Frean, a mum-of-two who has lived on the road for around 18 years, has been attacked herself several times.

But the letting agency director, 60, but fears there's little that can be done to deter the crows.

She said: "We've got these wonderful trees and we have nesting crows in them.

"When they have a baby and it fledges, it drops down to the grass and the mummy, daddy and aunty crows protect it.

"Anybody who passes by on bikes or walking - especially men with bald heads - they dive on them.

"Last year I was swooped on three times just trying to get out of my car.

"It was quite traumatising... I tried to go out again with a bike helmet on.

"Kids on little scooters are being dive-bombed and people just stay in their houses, looking out.

"Ever since we've lived here there has been a lot of crows and there's not really anything we can do about it.

"They get violent after the babies fledge.

"They sit up on the lampposts watching the babies so they can see passersby."

Many other locals also reported attacks over the years on friends and family members.

One mum pushing a pram said her sister was attacked by a crow on the road last year.

She said: "They dive down off the trees, attacking people.

"I last heard about them a year ago but I will keep a better eye on my son now there have been more attacks."

A young man living on the road said his mum was attacked as long as a decade ago, adding: "It's really common on this road.

"We have tall conker trees where the crows like to nest.

"They just come out of nowhere and claw the back of your head. I see them swoop on the road and I think, 'Please don't get me'.

"What are you going to do? It's birds in a tree."

Another neighbour, who also wished to remain anonymous, said his daughter was recently targeted in yet another attack.

"My daughter was attacked about a week ago maybe," he said. It wasn't bad enough to draw blood, but it was enough to scare her.

"It's not that uncommon for crows to attack people, I don't think."