Volunteers from the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service were called to a house in central Seaford at 5.30pm after residents spotted it.

Volunteer Trevor Weeks said: 'We treat these cubs as urgently as possible. This is our first cub of the season and he needed to be checked on and assessed to see whether he had been abandoned or just become impatient waiting for his mum.'

The cub had wandered just ten feet away from the entrance to his den under a shed in the garden.

The residents said crows were diving at the cub and they did not know what to do.

The cub was checked out by the volunteers and found to have a full stomach.

Mr Weeks said te young fox eventually heard the other cubs under the shed and encouraged it to go back inside which, after some initial curiosity, about the volunteer wardens, he did.

He said people should not assume cubs had been abandoned but to call the WRAS as soon as possible for advice on 07815 078234.