Residents fear foxes have been entering their homes and killing pets.

People living in the Preston Park area of Brighton said they experienced nightly visits from fearless foxes that fight in the street and raid dustbins.

One family is believed to have had two guinea pigs go missing from their garden in Gordon Road with the finger pointed firmly at local foxes.

Another family reported foxes coming into their house in neighbouring Herbert Road, leaving their children terrified.

Residents in the neighbourhood said the animals were a regular sight in the street and could be heard screeching as they fought each other in the early hours of the morning, prompting people to keep their doors and windows shut for safety.

The reported incidents have all taken place just a few streets from the Dorothy Stringer Playgroup, where a three-yearold boy was bitten during a birthday party last June.