Have you lost a shoe? Fox with foot fetish makes daily delivery of sandals, boots and trainers to couple's garden

Elaine Hewitt, 40, has received around 40 pairs of shoes from an urban fox

The fox takes the shoes from neighbours' homes in Horsforth, West Yorks

Mrs Hewitt has set up a shoe stall to return the footwear to the owners



They've long been known as the most cunning animal around - and it seems this urban fox is happily living up to its reputation.

A fox with a foot fetish from Horsforth, West Yorkshire has been swiping pairs of shoes from unsuspecting residents - and dropping them off as gifts to a neighbour's garden.

Elaine Hewitt and her husband William keep waking up to different pairs of shoes - including designer trainers, work boots and even smart leather shoes - which have been dropped off overnight by the animal.



Elaine Hewitt, 40, from Horsforth, West Yorkshire, pictured with her daughter Felicity, set up a stall to return shoes to her neighbours because an urban fox keeps delivering pairs of footwear to the family's garden

It all began when the fox delivered a pair of Y-fronts to the family - and soon the fox had brought them nearly 40 pairs of shoes.

The family have now become so inundated with random pairs of shoes that they set up a shoe stall outside their home, in a bid to return the shoes to their rightful owners.

The family believe this mother fox is responsible for the shoes deliveries to their home

Mrs Hewitt, 40, said: 'We started putting them in the garage and when we had two full carrier bags, I decided enough was enough.

'Some were quite good quality and new. There were brands like Vans and Firetrap. We got hiking boots and even a man’s workboots.'

Mrs Hewitt said the mother fox has stolen around 30 to 40 shoes from her neighbour's doorsteps and porches.

She said: 'It started a few months ago when a pair of Y-Fronts appeared on the lawn in the back garden.

'I looked out the window and saw what I thought was a pair of underpants, and it was. It was quite alarming really, but then the next day there was a shoe left in the same place.

'I realised there was an animal bringing them and then on a daily basis we got a shoe delivered.'

The shoes - which are never damaged and include expensive brands - are left overnight by a mother fox with a den nearby.

Mrs Hewitt said: 'We see the fox around a lot. She has five cubs and it’s no doubt it’s her. There will be a stash of shoes in her den.

'She gets them from people’s houses around here. We see a lot of garden shoes and kids shoes that might have been left outside.

'I think she might bring them back as toys for her cubs. She is very tame and she gets very close to us.'

Despite advertising the miscellaneous shoes to their neighbours, Mr and Mrs Hewitt still have a large pile of unclaimed footwear.

They also have a pair of baseball gloves and the item of underwear left by the fox.

She said: 'We have had a few pairs but they are mainly odd shoes. A lot of people have claimed a shoe which is very satisfying after my daughter went around with some flyers asking if anyone had lost one.

'There’s a little girl on our avenue and she came to collect a shoe. She was really happy because it was one of her new red Vans and she thought she had lost it.

Mrs Hewitt said the fox has brought the family up to 40 pairs of shoes from her neigbours' homes to their garden - which include designer trainers, work boots and even smart leather shoes

'Cars pull up all the time to have a look. Someone thought I was having a clear out and that they were my shoes.

'I was mortified in case anyone thought they were my shoes in case they recognised them as their own.'

As the drop-offs remain as frequent as ever, Mrs Hewitt believes the fox may only stop being so generous when her cubs have left the den.

After finding so many pairs, the family set up the shoe stall to return the footwear to the rightful owners. Although many people have come to claim the shoes, the family still have a large collection leftover



She said: 'The shoes are never damaged so I think it’s something to do with her being a mother.

'She’s just carrying them as if they were a cub so she might stop when they are older.

'You could wear the shoes again except for when they’ve been left outside and got wet. A lot are leather and they’re never chewed.

'It used to be really exciting looking out the window to see if a shoe had been left - just like looking out to see if it’s snowed at Christmas. But now it’s just another shoe.

'It’s strange because we haven’t had any stolen. She just brings other people’s to us.'

Urban Wildlife expert John Bryant said: 'A fox family will tend to consider up to 500 homes and garden as its territory and will constantly patrol this area looking for items to take home.



'It used to be really exciting looking out the window to see if a shoe had been left - just like looking out to see if it’s snowed at Christmas. But now it’s just another shoe .' Elaine Hewitt



'As the fox’s den is close to this family’s home, it will consider the garden an extension of its own home and part of its territory.

'Shoes are a particularly common item for foxes, especially trainers. Teenagers’ trainers left outside to air are very easy for them to grab and make off with.

'The fox will take the shoes somewhere they know they won’t be bothered and examine them for anything edible. If they find no use for them they will either give them to their cubs to play with or abandon them - in this case in this family’s garden.

'At this time of year when the cubs are three months old and turning into teenagers, it’s as well not the leave anything out at night.'

Some of the family's neighbours have also had mysterious pairs of shoes cropping up in their garden.



Chris Seller, 76, who is married to Christine, said: 'We have received several shoes, left for us by foxes. I’d say we’ve had about three or four, and they’re always old garden shoes.



The sit of the garden where the fox leaves shoes for the Hewitt family

'I can’t remember what I did with the first few but then when I heard about Elaine’s shoe rack, I took one of them down and actually found its matching pair.

'It wasn’t until I spoke to Elaine that I realised we weren’t the only ones and I was amazed to hear how many they’ve been left.'

Michael Thompson, another neighbour, 53, said: 'We do see a fox around in the garden, especially at night.



'Not long ago, my son was actually playing with his electric remote-controlled car in the street outside when the fox actually sat and watched him for a while.



'It’s likely to be the same one as it didn’t seem phased to be around people.'

And Dr Trevor Fox and his family regularly receive visits from the urban wildlife.



He said: 'The foxes love coming to visit the Fox’s. Just last night we saw the vixen with four of her cubs walking across the garden.



'They’ve never brought us any shoes however, they just seem to like wandering around here. We back on to the Hewitts’ house so it’s easy for them to access.