A woman has raised concerns for safety in her neighbourhood after a fox which she described as "like a pet" to her was shot dead near her home.

Mrs Davies, from Grays, who asked for her first name or address not to be mentioned out of a fear of reprisal, was handed a photo by her neighbour of a fox which has been shot and killed.

She said: "As soon as I saw the photo, I thought that is my fox."

Mrs Davies biggest concern is that somebody is walking around with a weapon, which she believes to be a .22 rifle.


She said: "When I spoke to my neighbour, they said to me that he wasn't shot with an air rifle, that is a .22 rifle.

"That's my biggest concern; that somebody is walking around with this weapon and somebody could get hurt."

Saddened by the death of who she called her "Fantastic Mr Fox", she said: "We used to put food out for the badgers and then this big fox started to come along and eat what we put out.

"He just became a pet really. We never touched him, just put food out for him though.

"I am really upset, just like you would be if you lost a dog."

Although the hunting of foxes with dogs was outlawed in 2005, it is still legal in some circumstances to shoot foxes.

The RSPCA recognise the law around fox hunting, but still condemn it.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: "Whilst foxes can be legally shot, the RSPCA is opposed to the killing or taking wildlife – in circumstances where there is a proven case for controlling wild animals, we advocate the use of non-harmful methods of deterrence where possible."

A police spokesman said: "We can confirm we received a call reporting a fox had been found shot dead in Grays on Wednesday, January 17."