Like Jane D I'm ambivalent where urban foxes are concerned.

The noise, mess etc can be annoying and whilst it would undoubtedly help if people (and businesses) disposed of their rubbish more responsibly, that wouldn't entirely solve the problem. For a start, there would still be the Council litter bins, like the one near the ambulance station on Davids Road, which is emptied by foxes almost every night.

On the other hand, a late-night encounter with Mr or Mrs Fox undoubtedly has its charms - and mice and rats (and pigeons?) probably present a greater health hazard.

Live and let live then? Well, yes - but I can't help wondering whether a partial cull is inevitable eventually, since the fox has no natural predator and we shall presumably reach a point where the fox population is just too big for their comfort, never mind ours.