I LIVE in Littleover, a lovely urban district of Derby where, I am sure, most people would be happy to live: Plenty of parks, nice little shopping areas, houses with decent-sized gardens, very acceptable bus service and, in the main, decent law-abiding residents. An area, where, before the economic collapse, houses were sold quickly.

Obviously, somehow this message has got out to the fox fraternity, as we are slowly being overwhelmed by them. In the 11 years I have lived here, it has gone from seeing the odd one in the evening and me grabbing the nearest person to share with me this rare visual phenomenon, to seeing two at a time walk up my back garden during the day and look through my patio door.

Not only in the back garden but three weeks ago, while saying farewell to a friend on my front drive, a fox nonchalantly walked past us backwards and forwards three times on the opposite side of the road. And this at lunch time. I was taught that foxes were nocturnal and indeed, I remember, in the 1950s, if you spotted one, the I Spy Book of Nature gave you 25 points (the highest amount possible).

Every day, I see one or more foxes and at night, on the way home from a local club I can guarantee seeing two foxes and often three. What on earth is happening? What has changed?

I often visit a friends' farm in Lincolnshire, and they rarely see a fox on their land. Even the local hunt stopped asking for permission to hunt there. Are they all migrating to Littleover?

I know I will upset some people, for which I apologise in advance, but surely the local council must arrange a cull. They have turned into vermin and are slowly showing contempt for humans.

We have recently heard of them attacking babies in other parts of the country and I firmly believe that this will soon happen here in Littleover.

John H. Keith

Willson Avenue

Littleover