Cheap kitchen staple can stop foxes invading your garden without harming them

A natural item you already have in your kitchen could keep foxes out of your . Urban foxes can be a nuisance in gardens, especially in the spring when you're trying to encourage plants to grow and grass to flourish after the miserable

Foxes can dig up plants and flowerbeds while searching for insects to eat or to bury surplus , and they also mark their territory by leaving droppings and unpleasant scents all over your garden. They also make noisy "screams" at night that can keep you awake, and if you have small outdoor pets like rabbits, they could even kill and eat them.

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While none of us want foxes in our gardens, we also don't want to hurt them - and thankfully, there are natural solutions you can use to deter them without causing any harm.

According to the experts at Shield Pest Control, there's an everyday kitchen staple that foxes can't stand, and anyone who has a fully stocked spice rack will already have some on hand - chilli pepper. And if you don't have any because you're not a fan of spice, there's another common ingredient you can use instead - garlic.

The experts said: "Sprinkling these foods around your garden will naturally prevent foxes from coming near your home and garden. There's no need to resort to extreme measures if you don't have to."

Experts have cooked up a clever concoction to keep pesky foxes away from your garden, suggesting a potent mix of chilli and garlic is the key.

Simply boil these ingredients, whizz them in a blender, and spray the fiery blend around your patch, they say, leaving behind a "potent smell" that'll send the critters running.

Bargain hunters can snap up "hot and fiery" Bird Eye chillies for a mere 45p at , while adding a single bulb of garlic to your basket amounts to just 39p – a thrifty total of 84p for the homemade repellent.

For those who aren't keen on their garden reeking of spices, Combat Pest Control offers a sweet-scented alternative: scattering lemon peels as a fragrant means to "effectively repel" the furry visitors.

Gardener's World chimes in with their two pence, pointing out that a fox's "strong sense of smell" can be turned against them – safeguard your bins with locks and dispose of any droppings to make your garden less inviting, they advise.