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A shocked sleeper described the moment he woke up for a cuddle with his other half - only to find a FOX in bed next to him.

Leon Smith was dozing in bed when he thought his girlfriend Sophie Merrell had lovingly nuzzled the back of his neck.

But she had already gone to work, and when Leon reached out for a cuddle he felt fur - and found himself in bed with a fox who had sneaked in through the cat flap.

Leon, 30, from Hampton Hill in London, told The Sun : "I just couldn't believe it. It was so calm, just staring at me."

The IT worker grabbed his phone and took a quick snap of the cheeky fox before it turned tail and went back through the bedroom door.

After a tense 10 minute stand-off while the animal stood on the landing, Leon eventually chased it out of the house.

Girlfriend Sophie laughed when she got home and saw who her other half had been cosying up to, but admitted she is nervous about the possibility of the fox making a return visit.

The couple may now remove their cat flap to stop the animal gaining entry again.