Urban foxes have made Romford their home. From Harold Wood to Rise Park, they stroll down streets at night, scream during mating season, and dig up lawns looking for food. This final guide shows exactly how to stop them safely and legally without harming them.
More gardens, fewer natural predators, and easy food from overturned bins have let fox families settle in every postcode. A vixen can have five or six cubs every spring, and they stay in the same garden for years.
Foul-smelling droppings everywhere
Torn bin bags scattered across drives
Dug-up flower beds and destroyed ponds
Loud screaming and barking at 3 a.m. from January to March
Attacks on small pets and danger to toddlers
Fleas and parasites carried into gardens
Damage to shed floors and decking when they burrow underneath
Under garden sheds, decking, and extensions with low gaps. They also use quiet corners behind compost heaps, inside overgrown ivy, and sometimes inside unused garages.
Ultrasonic repellers lose effect within days. Scooting pepper or citrus peel washes away with rain. Motion-activated sprinklers annoy neighbours more than foxes.
Foxes are protected under the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996. Only licensed professionals can trap or move them. Poisoning or injuring a fox can mean six months in prison and unlimited fines.
Technicians walk the entire property at dusk, checking for earths, latrines, and entry points under fences.
If cubs are present (April–July), work waits until they leave naturally. Adult-only earths are blocked humanely with one-way doors or strong-smelling repellents approved for wildlife.
50 cm trench dug around sheds, filled with concrete or heavy mesh turned outward
Gaps under gates fitted with kick plates
Weak fence panels reinforced with concrete gravel boards
Overhanging branches cut back so foxes cannot jump over
Licensed scent-based marking fluid (made from predator urine) is sprayed around boundaries every two weeks for eight weeks. Foxes believe a stronger animal has claimed the territory and leave voluntarily.
Secure wheelie bins with bungee straps, stop feeding birds on the ground, harvest fallen fruit daily.
Most Romford gardens are fully protected after one proofing visit plus four repellent applications.
Costs in 2025:
Average suburban garden proofing + repellent course: £280–£420
Large corner plot or double garden: £480–£680
Emergency same-night call-out (screaming vixen or trapped cub): £150 extra
When children wake terrified from midnight screaming and gardens look like battle zones every morning, Romford families finally call saxon pest management because the team holds full fox licences, works quietly after dark, and guarantees the foxes will move on peacefully without coming back.
Bring pet food bowls in at night
Lock bins or use council fox-proof sacks
Clear children’s toys from the lawn before dusk
Install automatic security lights at ground level
Keep the garden tidy and free of hiding places
Will the foxes just move next door?
Yes, but proper proofing stops them returning to your garden.
Is it safe for my cat?
100 %. Methods are designed for urban areas with pets.
When is the worst time of year?
January–March (mating) and May–July (cubs learning to hunt).
Do you ever shoot or trap foxes?
Never. All work is non-lethal and legal.
How quickly can someone come?
Same or next-day survey, work starts within 48 hours.
Will the council help?
Only if foxes are injured or inside the house.
Foxes belong in the countryside, not digging up Romford lawns and terrifying families at night. One professional, licensed service that combines strong proofing with proven repellents returns your garden to you and your children — safely, legally, and permanently.