It must be that time of year again - on the one hand bin bags are being ripped apart and rubbish left strewn down the street, and on the other I receive begging message from animal lovers about foxes.

We all know the reasons behind foxes, naturally at home in the countryside, increasingly moving into built-up urban areas. The biggest single attraction is human waste, of varying sorts.

Now, I won’t reignite the issue by explaining the dictionary definition of vermin but surely everyone must recognise foxes are a pest in suburban areas of London?

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Animal Aid claims to be inundated by members of the public horrified by the thought of urban foxes being culled, but I receive a large number of messages saying people feel over-run and are desperate for a solution.

There is no doubt the best single thing we can do as individuals is to be as responsible as possible with our waste, however, this in itself will not solve the issue.

By far the biggest, and most idiotic, encouragement are those self-proclaimed, so-called animal lovers who feel they have a duty to actively feed foxes and encourage them.

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People must realise if you seek to feed, and therefore domesticate, a wild animal it will become more tame, but it can return to its wild state at a moment’s notice.

Foxes, like all wild animals, are unpredictable and should be treated with the respect they deserve - they are beautiful things to see in the wild, but not in gardens and on urban streets.

Fox numbers are rising, despite what certain ‘experts’ claim, and the issue does need to be tackled.

The problem shouldn’t be hyped out of proportion by portraying the fox as a direct threat to humans, but from a health and safety point of view they need controlling.

Of course, any cull must be carried out in the most humane way possible as no right-minded person would ever want any animal to suffer unnecessarily.

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I would much prefer this problem is tackled now and any cull is conducted the right way than leave the problem until we have serious issues on our streets and in our gardens which might lead to people trying to take matters into their own hands.

I have already heard about two suspected cases of people trying to poison foxes – this is definitely not the solution, it is irresponsible and downright dangerous to other animals and humans.