Urban Foxes

Nuisance and risk

Foxes can be a nuisance, particularly during the mating season when their screams can be heard at night, or when male foxes fight with each other over territory or a female fox. The problem of fox noise is seasonal and lasts for just a couple of weeks.

Foxes will sometimes tear rubbish sacks open and leave the contents strewn all over the street. However, other animals, including pet cats and dogs, can also be responsible for this.

Risks to humans and pets

Attacks on children are extremely rare. Statistically, the risk that foxes pose is very small, and the risk from dangerous dogs is far greater.

Foxes pose little danger to cats, but do sometimes chase them. Generally foxes will back away, knowing they will probably suffer a serious injury in a fight. Foxes may scavenge the remains of dead cats but actual evidence of them killing cats is extremely rare. Cats and dogs vastly outnumber foxes and they usually co-exist without any serious problems. However many fox cubs are killed each year by pet cats and dogs.

Small pets, like rabbits and guinea pigs, can be taken by foxes. They need to be securely housed to ensure foxes cannot get access to them. Most wire pens are not robust enough to deter a determined fox. Foxes also eat rats and other rodents and can help to keep those pests down.

Controlling foxes

An abundance of food and shelter and an absence of predators has enabled the fox to thrive in inner cities. If we, as a community, reduce the availability of food and places to shelter, fox numbers will reduce, as will the number of rats, feral pigeons and seagulls.

Some people think the Council should start culling foxes, but this is extremely expensive, potentially dangerous and very unlikely to succeed. There was a nationwide program to cull foxes that ran for more than 30 years, but fox numbers did not noticeably decline.

Legally, there are only two methods that can be used to dispose of foxes. These are shooting - which is too dangerous in urban areas, and cage trapping in combination with the administering of a lethal injection - which is expensive and ineffective. Only a vet can administer a lethal injection and most vets are unwilling to put down any healthy animal.

Some pest control companies will kill foxes. If you decide to employ someone to kill a fox on your property you will be responsible for the costs of killing and disposing of the animal (which can be considerable). Also, the territory of a culled fox will be quickly re-occupied by another fox.

If you find a dead fox

Should you discover a dead fox on the public highway, please contact the Council providing details of where the fox is located, so that collection and disposal can be arranged. You can contact the Council via the following channels:

Telephone Streetline on 020 7361 3001, between 8:30am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday
Email Streetline via [email protected]
Report the problem online

Tips for dealing with foxes

As well as denying foxes a source of food or shelter, there are a few other steps you can take to deal with a fox that has taken up residence in your garden. You can use an appropriate animal repellent to discourage the animal (for example a non toxic chemical such as Scoot, Stay Off, Get Off My Garden or Wash Off and Get Off). Always read the manufacturer's label before use, and follow their instructions.

Success with repellents requires persistence. Foxes will not vacate their territory easily. Problems with scent marking and faeces may get worse before they get better. Foxes will increase their scent marking if their territory is threatened. Successfully deterring foxes will require constant re-application of the repellent, often for weeks, before the foxes give up and move on.

Do not be tempted to try to poison foxes as this can put other animals (pets, wild birds etc) and humans at risk. People who do use poisons illegally can face substantial fines and/or a prison sentence. If you need practical help with foxes you should contact a pest control professional for advice. The British Pest Control Association website is useful for finding a suitable pest control professional. Only trained pest control professionals can kill or trap foxes.

If you are concerned because foxes have been seen in your area or the street, follow these guidelines:

do not leave ground-floor windows or those immediately above a flat roof wide open (leaving the windows open just two to three inches will ensure a fox is not able to gain access)
do not leave French windows or external ground-floor doors open, especially after dark
do not make your home or garden attractive to foxes - store household refuse in metal bins, with secure tops
do not leave pet-food out in the garden or on a balcony
never leave household refuse out on the street or in a side-way overnight - only put your refuse out on the right collection day
if foxes are continually disturbing your sleep it is possible to deter them by switching on an external light, making a sudden and loud noise (be wary of disturbing your neighbours) or shining a powerful torch beam at them
never be tempted to use rags soaked in creosote or petrol - this is dangerous and illegal
clear overgrown gardens which could provide resting areas, and make sure there is no food available on compost heaps
don’t use fertilisers containing blood, fish and bone meal as they will attract foxes
if you have foxes living in your garden you can use an animal repellent as mentioned above
if you have a den in your garden or on your land you can block the entrance, but you should only ever use soft soil whilst there are cubs around (you must be sure the den is completely vacated before blocking it with rubble or cement)
consider extending your fence (above and below ground) - before you do, please consult the Planning Department for approval

Do not trap foxes inside their den as this is cruel and illegal. Do not put out poisoned food for foxes as this puts other people and wildlife at risk and you will face heavy fines and possible imprisonment.

About foxes

Fox facts

foxes are mainly nocturnal mammals and spend the hours of darkness hunting for, and scavenging, food
foxes can live for about 12 to 15 years, but life expectancy in urban areas is much shorter and most foxes survive for about two to three years
up to 50 per cent of the UK’s fox population is killed on the roads
up to 80 per cent of fox cubs die before reaching sexual maturity and therefore never breed
urban foxes live off of a diet of food scavenged from refuse bags left out on the street, badly-cleaned or easily accessed refuse storage areas, carelessly discarded fast-food, berries, plant bulbs, worms, garden insects, birds and other small mammals, including rats and mice
foxes generally avoid contact with dogs and cats
foxes can carry the same diseases as domestic dogs

Habitat

There has been a rapid spread of foxes into urban areas during the past 100 years, particularly in the south of England, where cities, like London, have encroached into more rural areas. Foxes prefer suburban areas, with large gardens where they can find shelter beneath shrubbery, sheds, and in other quiet areas, for example, alongside railway tracks or in parks and other open spaces. Foxes excavate burrows, known as earths or dens, in those areas, particularly where there is dense vegetation.

Indications that a den is occupied are:

remnants of food and the presence of fox faeces near the entrance
well worn paths to the entrance, which are about 25 cm wide
an unpleasant musty smell around the entrance

Breeding

Foxes breed just once a year. The mating season begins in January when the screeching mating cries can be heard during the night and the early hours. A litter of four to five cubs is born about late March, and the cubs remain exclusively inside the den for about six to eight weeks.

Dens become abandoned by June or July, when the cubs will begin to learn how to forage for food. By September, the cubs will be just about fully grown, and in late October the cubs leave the family, to set up their own territory, often nearby.

Diet

Foxes are omnivorous; their usual diet is birds, worms, small mammals, insects, fruit and household refuse, when they can get it. In city areas, discarded food (take-away food, household rubbish and pet food left out overnight) can make up more than half of a fox’s daily diet.

Last updated: 1 August 2022

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