The ever-growing fox crisis in Sutton is becoming a real problem for some residents. Foxes are prowling our streets causing stress and destruction to Suttonites’ humble abodes. Bat-eared, eagle-eye and swiftly shifting, foxes patrol the streets of Sutton, instilling fear in some whilst infusing hatred and anger in others.
Many have been subject to foxes wrecking their gardens and refuse, preying on the rubbish bags and bins of residencies. In particular, looking down some of the streets in Beddington one can spot what appears to mimic a diminutive landfill site, as small heaps of refuse lie helplessly scattered across the neatly manicured front gardens of households. Interviewing one resident, a stay-at-home mother of three, she complained that “It really does become a nuisance, especially when I have just cleared the front garden and put the rubbish out, to wake up to a scene of disaster the next morning. As I have a small baby when the foxes do attack the rubbish, empty formulas, pots of baby food and dirty nappies are left lying across the lawn and I am the one who has to clear up. The worst cases are the ones on a Sunday night, as on a Monday the council come to collect the rubbish, however when the litter is scattered all over my garden, the rubbish collectors do not pick it up as it’s not in the allocated bins, therefore I am left to clear it up myself and have to wait another week with a very full rubbish bin, hoping the foxes don’t attack again.” In these cases anger and hatred is infused in many as many residents become fed up with this fox frenzy.
However, an opposing view may allow the responsibility to lie with the residents themselves. This is due to overfilling the brown council bins, therefore the container becomes overflowed with so much rubbish that the lid cannot close, making it a prime target for foxes to attack.
So what’s the solution? Some may suggest that the council should intervene more, in helping to control the levels of fox attacks, through fox management. Or, maybe residents should start using the green recycling bin more to throw their recyclable rubbish, to prevent the brown bins from overflowing, therefore effectively being less susceptible to fox attacks and better for the planet.
By Saffron-Lucia Gilbert-Kaluba, St Philomena’s
