THIS is the best photo yet of the foxy little fellow who has made his home at the seaside.Completely unfazed by the camera - in fact posing for his picture - the creature Felixstowe residents have christened Freddy was captured strolling through a seafront garden.

THIS is the best photo yet of the foxy little fellow who has made his home at the seaside.

Completely unfazed by the camera - in fact posing for his picture - the creature Felixstowe residents have christened Freddy was captured strolling through a seafront garden.

He is a regular at two nearby bars and is believed to have a little den somewhere just off Undercliff Road West, possibly with a seaview.

Dean Wales was preparing some food in his kitchen and found the fox wandering around his garden.

“It was one of those moments when you think you've seen something but you tell yourself that it can't be,” he said.

“I ignored it at first and then when I looked again, sure enough it was a fox.

“As he was so close, I crept around as quiet as possible to grab my camera, but as it turned out, whatever noise I made, opening the blinds, unlatching the window and opening it, it never appeared to worry him.

“He just sat there and looked at me.

“It was some time before he decided to stand up again and resume his sniffing around when he finally, but casually sauntered off again.”

Dean thinks the fox is probably living in one of the gardens nearby.

“There are a lot of trees behind and a bit of a bank, so there would be plenty of places to make a den,” he said.

The fox first came to light just before Christmas when he surprised customers and staff at Bar 129 by wandering in searching for scraps under tables.

He then appeared across the road at The Alex, where he appeared perfectly tame, not bothered by the presence of people, and fascinated everyone with his antics - except general manager Greig Barnes, whose finger he bit when he tried to feed Freddy sausages.

The restaurant has been a little concerned because it serves food and has put up a poster urging customers not to let him on the tables or inside and to shoo him away if necessary.

Have you known a fox - or any wild animal - to be so friendly? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk

FOX FACTS:

Red foxes are widespread in Britain - typically found in woodland and open country, but their presence in urban areas is increasing.

In folklore they have a reputation for being sly and cunning.

They are opportunist feeders and eat insects, earthworms, fruit, berries, wild birds, small mammals and scraps left by humans.

Seen from a distance, the fox might appear as a large animal but in fact, foxes are rather small - in Britain, an average fox is a little bigger than a pet cat. Length of head and body is about 70cm with a 42cm tail.

Captive foxes can live up to about 14 years, comparable to domestic dogs, but in the wild they rarely live more than a couple of years.

Vixens give birth to four to seven cubs in a den (also called an earth), one litter a year, after a gestation period of 50 days. The cubs are weaned after seven to nine weeks.