Ask any chicken farmer and he will tell you the fox is better known as a predator than a lover.

But the amorous antics of Brighton and Hove's feral canines in recent weeks would make Basil Brush blanch.

Sussex Police have been inundated with calls from worried residents who have reported hearing blood-curdling screams - most commonly thought to be of a young woman - in the early hours of the morning.

One worried caller in the Woodingdean area of Brighton told officers the cries sounded like someone shouting "help me" repeatedly.

But a police investigation has revealed the noises are being made by foxes seeking a mate.

Alec Anscombe, of the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS), said: "It's that time of year. Foxes are beginning to get amorous. It's a horrible scream, like someone being throttled.

"If people hear it, it's worth looking out of the window in case it is one of your neighbours being murdered - but it's probably foxes.

"It's usually the males having a go at each other as they claim their territory because it is the season when they want to have cubs."

The macho foxes have attracted a lot of attention.

Residents are reporting an unusually high number of sightings across the city - attributed by experts to mating month, when the animals can be often spotted in pairs.

David Wells, of Tisbury Road, Hove, said: "In the last month I've spotted a fox in the flower beds of Hove Town Hall, four or five on The Drive, half a dozen in the Withdean area and two in the middle of the road in Woodruff Avenue.

"This has all been around midnight. I think they are vampire foxes."

Benet Gregory, of Hollingbury Place, Brighton, said: "I've seen the same fox loads of times in The Dip in Hollingdean.

"It shows no fear and occasionally strolls towards you with leftover Sunday lunch in its mouth."

Wildlife expert Roger Musselle said the vixen is fertile for only three days of the year and the male fox has to work hard to fend off his rivals.

He said: "He has to be on hand for when she's ready so he will hang around.

"If she goes under a shed for the day then he will often sleep out on the lawn or on a garage roof or nearby shed."

Most of the mating will have finished by March and fox cubs will begin to appear at the end of March, after the vixen's nine-week pregnancy.

The young cubs stay with their mother until August when they head off to find their own territories.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "We certainly have received reports in the past where well-meaning members of the public have contacted us believing someone is in distress.

"When we have attended, we have quickly discovered it is actually a family of foxes calling out.

"It's not only in the more rural areas of the city.

"Foxes are often seen in central, built-up areas and, again, reports of a female crying or shouting has been linked to foraging cubs.

"But we don't mind receiving such calls. If people are genuinely concerned that someone is in distress, we would rather know about it."