Video has emerged showing an injured vixen taking shelter underneath the dining table of a London restaurant.

The footage was taken in Tibits, a vegetarian restaurant in central London.

A waitress offered the vixen, which appeared to be nursing a broken hind leg, grapes and a bowl of water; but it soon became scared and dashed off down a busy Regent Street.

Video shows injured fox taking refuge inside London restaurant

The Evening Standard reports that a second fox, which also appeared to be hurt, remained under the table before leaving.

Kamil Lis, manager at Tibits, said: “The foxes were cowering under the tables, just lying there, hiding away. One of them was bleeding. I called the RSPCA as they both looked like they had been hurt.

“Passers-by tried to get close to them but I warned them away telling them they would get aggressive as they were frightened.”

Latest research estimates there are 10,000 foxes in London, about 16 per square mile.