Fox found in spare bed of Romford home

The fox, pictured through the bedroom door, did not leave the the house for more than an hour (Image: Archant)

Sarah Preddy and her partner Colin Linton were enjoying a Sunday morning cup of tea at their house in Rosemary Avenue, Romford, when they discovered the “arrogant” animal relaxing on a bed after their dog, Molly, became restless.

Upon opening their bedroom door to let the labrador out, she “flew” across the landing towards the spare bedroom, where the bushy-tailed squatter had made itself at home on top of the duvet.

“It was just sitting there in the corner,” said Sarah. “It must have wondered in through the patio and up the stairs. It was so bold, I couldn’t believe it.”

Sarah’s step-sons, who were both in bed when the fox entered the house, but had their doors closed, took this photograph of the startled animal in the room.

After calling the RSPCA, the family opened the door leading outside, closed all the others and “kept out of the way.”

“It took over an hour before it left,” said Sarah. “It was really disgusting, I’m going to have to disinfect the room now.

“This particular fox is full of mange and has tried to get in the house before. There are dens at the bottom of the garden, and they get fouled on. Two summers ago it was so bad we didn’t even go outside.

“The scary thing is, although we are all fully grown, we have a seven-month-old grandson, what if he was there? I’ve read in papers previously that foxes can be quite aggressive towards children.”

An RSPCA spokesman said: “It is unusual for foxes to enter homes as by nature they will tend to avoid human contact. In the rare instances when they do venture into a home, it is likely they are attracted to food which has been left out.”