There are estimated to be around 350,000 to 430,000 red foxes in the UK, so it's no surprise that the pests end up in our gardens.

By Millie Bull, Deputy Lifestyle Editor

12:51, Thu, Nov 14, 2024 | UPDATED: 12:52, Thu, Nov 14, 2024

A female red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in a wet British garden, UK

Foxes can be a menace in UK gardens (Image: Getty)

Foxes can be a menace in UK gardens, ripping up flower beds, upending bins and defecating on lawns and patios.

The pests are born scavengers and can often be spotted looking through bins for food scraps.

Foxes have a keen sense of smell, so they are likely to target leftovers such as meat carcasses, fruit, or out-of-date food items.

They can also jump a massive six feet in the air, which means your garden fence is unlikely to protect your garden from them.

Keeping foxes out of gardens can be difficult, but storage experts Adam’s Self Store have shared a DIY trick that costs as little as 25p and can be found in most supermarkets.

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Garlic and chilli peppers can be found in most local supermarkets. A bulb of garlic costs just 75p for a pack of three in Asda, which works out at 25p per bulb. A packet of red chillies can be bought from Tesco for just 60p.

The storage experts said foxes hate these items because of their pungent smell.

They explained how to make a simple DIY repellant using these items to deter the pests from entering your garden.

They said: “Foxes have a strong sense of smell and really dislike the smell of chilli peppers and garlic.

Urban Fox in Residential Garden

There are estimated to be around 350,000 to 430,000 red foxes in the UK (Image: Getty)

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"You can make a DIY repellant to ward foxes off of your garden and plants by boiling garlic and chilli peppers in water, straining it and spraying it around your garden.

"You can also sprinkle these ingredients around your garden, or add citrus peels and coffee grounds where foxes can gain entry to deter them. A garlic bulb can be bought for as little as 25p!"

Alternatively, you could use lights and loud noises to deter foxes from wreaking havoc in your garden.

"Foxes are also incredibly wary of lights and loud noises, so using motion lighting could be a good deterrent as they will activate the lights and it may stop them from entering your garden," the experts concluded.