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Fox attacks sleeping baby

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A fox has attacked a baby as it lay sleeping beside its mother on a sofa in their sitting room.

Louis Day, who is only 14 weeks old, was left covered with blood and crying with pain as the fox grabbed his head after creeping in through the open french window of the family's home in Kent.

Louis's parents, Sue Eastwood and Peter Day, say they think the fox was trying to drag the baby outside with the intention of eating him, and are now frightened to let their son out of their sight.

Louis was detained overnight in hospital and given two courses of antibiotics. He is now recovering at home, but the teeth puncture wounds on his temple and forehead are still clearly visible.

The incident happened while the family were watching television in their terraced home at Dartford last Wednesday evening. The french windows that lead to the back garden were open, and Mrs Eastwood and Louis were dozing on the sofa together while Mr Day was in the kitchen.

"I had only been there a second when I heard Louis scream and then Sue scream as well," Mr Day, 44, said. "By the time I got back in the room, the fox was sitting there, just looking at me. I did not see him grab Louis, but the baby was covered in blood.

"I chased the fox out - it was sat by the door, just looking at me. Sue was in hysterics, I didn't know what to do. We were just really worried about Louis, it was terrifying."

Mr Day and Mrs Eastwood, 36, who have six other children from previous relationships, were appalled that a fox could be so bold that it would come into the house and attack a sleeping child.

"There are a lot of them round here, but we have never heard of anything like this," Mrs Eastwood said.

"We have heard of them attacking pets and growling at people on the estate, but this has really scared us. We won't open any of the windows now and we daren't let Louis out of our sight."

Mrs Eastwood said they feared the fox might have been trying to drag the child off the sofa and outside. She added: "I used to like leaving him on a mat on the floor while I pottered about, but I daren't do that any more. I can't forget the sight of that animal, the way it just sat there on the carpet, and I can't forget the way Louis screamed. I can't take my eyes off him now."

Louis was taken to Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford where doctors who examined him agreed that the bites could have been caused by a fox.

The baby is recovering, but now Mr Day and Mrs Eastwood cannot relax . They say they spotted what they believe to be the same fox in their garden again on Saturday evening.

"I heard the noise and opened the door and he was sitting there looking at me," Mr Day said. "I threw things at him and chased him through the neighbours' gardens. I was seeing red and if I could have got hold of him I would have done something to him." However Mr Day said he had been told by the RSPCA that he could be prosecuted if he harmed the fox.

"If a dog had done this they would have had it put down," Mrs Eastman said. "But there is nothing we can do."

The couple say there are dozens of foxes, possibly hundreds, in the area and that they have become a menace.

Neighbours agreed that the fox problem was growing. Mr Day's brother, Dennis, 41, a lorry driver who lives on the same street with his wife Sharon, said: "They have tried to get at our guinea pigs in the cage in the back garden. We came back here one night and found a fox asleep on the doorstep. It did not move - it just was not scared. You can see them jumping over the fences."

Residents of Temple Hill, an estate close to Dartford town centre, have asked the local authority and the RSPCA to help them tackle the problem, but say they have been met with little interest.

"They seem more interested in the foxes and tell us we can't hurt them. But people are worried - what will happen next?" Mrs Eastwood said.

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