AN anti-social menace is plaguing parts of Ipswich - not rowdy teens or speeding drivers but urban foxes.

IPSWICH: An anti-social menace is plaguing parts of Ipswich - not rowdy teens or speeding drivers but urban foxes.

The furry animals have been spotted in several streets around the south east of the town in recent weeks, prompting concerns that numbers are on the increase.

Borough councillor Russell Harsant said foxes have appeared in Princethorpe Road, Temple Road, Bixley Road, Severn Road and in Holywells Park over the last few months.

He said: “People are feeding these things - I have spoken to people who say they have nearly been able to feed them by hand.

“But foxes are quite savage animals.”

While some homeowners welcome the new arrivals by leaving out food and milk on their back lawns, others complain that foxes are digging up their gardens, fouling their lawns, attacking their pets and ripping open garbage bags.

Bixley Road couple Mary and Reg Rands have twice lost batches of chickens following fox attacks.

Former bricklayer Mr Rands, 78, said: “We have lost 12 chickens in all.

“The foxes bit their heads off and left the hens on the ground. They're crafty things.

“They cost �80 to replace - we are pensioners and that is money which we could have spent elsewhere.

“They roam around the streets and the do-gooders feed them. I would like to see them culled - they are so rife around here.”

Health and safety laws do not cover fox problems, nor do laws relating to nuisance or pest control, meaning it is difficult for local authorities to control the animals.

Have you spotted a fox in your neighbourhood? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk