The bowling greens at Beach House Park in Worthing are regarded as the best in the country.

The standard is such the venue has been acclaimed as the Wimbledon of the sedate sport.

But foxes have no respect for reputation. In fact, they are taking the pee.

While England's best bowlers have been taking part in the National Championships over the past week or so, foxes have been coming out at night and leaving their calling card all over the pristine lawns.

This has left saucer-sized brown patches of dead grass on the greens, which fortunately have not affected the all-important roll of the wood.

Frustrated park keepers have been using high-pitched sonic pingers to scare off the foxes but are not sure whether they are working.

The animals have also been pinching discarded groundsmen's gloves and hiding them in a flower bed to the north of the main pavilion.

But at least they are not digging holes in the greens, a problem in the past when worms just below the surface proved a tempting snack.

Chris Bradley, Worthing Borough Council's parks manager, said: "The vixens are the culprits. There is something in their pee that kills grass.

"It starts out as a little round patch which grows faster than the grass around it but then dies off and you get a brown saucer-shaped patch.

"It looks a bit spotty out there but thankfully doesn't destroy the playability of the greens. But thank God they are not digging them up, which is a far worse problem.

"Luckily this year they have only been peeing on the greens. Most people are fairly happy with the state of the greens. We have had no adverse comment.

"We have some little sensors which let out a sonic noise, imperceptible to us. We are not 100 per cent sure how successful they are.

"We will certainly be exploring that kind of technology to see if there is something which will dissuade them from coming on to the greens."

Mr Bradley suspected part of the problem was the banning of noxious chemicals which were once used by greenkeepers to kill worms and fungi.

Despite the hiccups, Mr Bradley said the championships, which attract the best players from all over England, have been a success, although the weather could have been kinder.

Worthing Borough Council was determined to make this year's tournament a showpiece event after the English Bowling Association, based at Beach House Park, warned Worthing was no longer the first choice for top competitions.

The EBA complained about the condition of the greens, hotel prices, parking and the fact the town was difficult to get to.

However, the council and EBA ironed out their differences to ensure Worthing remains the first-choice venue until at least 2008.