A mother-of-two said she was ‘shocked’ after a Sutton Council complaints officer advised her to pour bleach over her uncollected food waste to ward off foxes.

Natalie Coote, 40, was given the potentially hazardous guidance on Monday (May 15) after she called the office more than a dozen times to ask what to do after her food waste had not been collected for 10 days.

She told the Sutton Guardian the advice could potentially harm her dog and two children, aged four and six.

Consuming bleach can lead to significant health issues including nausea, chest pains delirium and, if particularly large amounts have been ingested, death.

The Sutton Common Road resident said: “I was shocked when the man told me to ‘just pour bleach on it’.

“He told me that the officers had been advised to make the suggestion, but it isn’t appropriate because it could harm my dogs and small children.

“Kids touch everything and I don’t particularly want to harm the foxes either.”

Sutton Council later apologised and added the guidance given was not official policy.

A borough spokesman said: “Pouring bleach over bin bags would not be our official advice.

“While it is pleasing to see our staff using their initiative to help residents, in this incident the advice given has not been helpful and we apologise. Staff have been asked not to advise using bleach to deter foxes.

"Residents are advised to place food waste refuse in the provided lockable container to minimise risk of fox incursions."

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shared humane methods to deter foxes and added using substances, such as bleach, could be illegal.

A RSPCA spokeswoman said: “There are lots of humane ways of deterring foxes such as using securely sealed dust bins and composters, or removing any places of shelter (e.g. cutting vegetation back and ensuring garage or shed doors are closed).

“Removing any sources of food by clearing up pet food, using bird feeders which are less likely to spill, and keeping pets such as rabbits indoors or inside secure enclosures overnight will also help to deter foxes.

“There are animal repellents approved for use with foxes and these are widely available from garden centre and hardware stores. Take care to read the label and carefully follow the instructions, as each product is prepared and approved for use against certain animals in the specified way.”