We have lived with foxes in our garden for 20 years. This summer we have four.

They have dug up flowers and large holes in the lawn, chewed through part of two hosepipes, urinated on garden furniture and chewed the chair legs, emptied the greenhouse of garden gloves, trowels, pots, and brushes and eaten the kneeling mat, except for two small pieces.

They bring in debris from round and about - beer cans, wrappers, plastic bottles, sandwich packets, chicken carcasses even a partly chewed leather wallet complete with cash, credit cards and health details that has been duly returned to its owner.

They lie out and sunbathe side by side during the day and play tag with next door's cat around the tree at night.

Recently I saw one halfway up a small new plum tree shaking the fruit from the branches.

On ringing the experts, they were interested and fascinated and suggested I give them something to play with.

I pointed out I have inadvertently already done this. They suggested various deterrents (to no avail) but added they should disperse by the end of August. Roll on September.

-Brenda Sinfield, Hove