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Overview

The fox is a member of the dog family. They are mainly active at night and usually shelter and breed below ground in an ‘earth’ or a ‘den’.

Foxes breed once a year, with cubs being born during March and April with an average litter size of four or five.

Foxes eat a wide range of foodstuffs. Their diet includes small mammals, insects, earthworms, fruit, and vegetables and in more urban areas they scavenge on food waste.

Domestic properties can be affected by foxes and usually include damage to gardens and structures from digging and the scattering of refuse to locate food. Foxes are nervous animals and generally take every opportunity to avoid humans.

What can I do to get rid of them?

Although foxes are not specially protected in law you are advised not to trap or kill a fox unless you have been properly trained and know what legal requirements you need to comply with, such as animal cruelty. In addition, killing doesn't necessarily solve the problem as other foxes from surrounding areas quickly move into the vacant territory. If a fox is causing damage it is more effective to look at ways of preventing it from entering your land. This could include dealing with any food waste issues - storing rubbish and food waste in fox proof containers, clearing overgrown areas of the garden to prevent safe cover and fill in any excavations as soon as they appear to prevent foxes from moving in.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) provides comprehensive guidance on urban foxes and their management.

We will collect dead animals (for example, foxes, badgers, deer, dogs and cats) found on public highways, verges or other public land.  We don't collect from private land.