A grandad claims Canvey is being plagued by foxes after one terrified his little grand-daughter when it jumped into her home through a downstairs window.

Philip Tappin, 53, ran to help two-year-old Darcy when she screamed and was shocked to discover the fox, which jumped back outside from the sill.

He said the fox then continued to pace round the outside of the property for more than four hours and ran at him when he tried to shoo it away.

He said: “My grand-daughter could have been bitten. I wouldn’t leave a puppy or a dog I trusted with my granddaughter.

You don’t expect there to be a fox in the house.

“It held me prisoner in my own property.

I went out to try to scare it away with water – it just came towards me.

“My wife, Christine, even threw a pan of water at it. She is terrified.

“I couldn’t get any closer than four feet to it. What happens if it bites me?

What happens if it does something else?

“The police told me you can’t hurt an animal and I told them I don’t want it to invade my property. Canvey people have just about had enough of these foxes.”

Mr Tappin called Castle Point Council, the RSPCA and Essex Police for help with the fox, which paced around his daughter’s home in Voorburg Road, Canvey, between noon and 4.30pm yesterday.

The RSPCA arrived at about 4.30pm and Mr Tappin believes the fox may have been ill as it appeared “mangy” and was being sick just before the inspector arrived to remove it.

Echo:

Mr Tappin, who works at Tilbury Docks, was unable to go to work while he tried to sort the problem.

He believes the foxes are being attracted by people having to store rubbish and recycling in their gardens.

He added: “Nobody wanted anything to do with the foxes, but there is a plague of them on Canvey at the moment.”