An 80-year-old woman spent more than £300 on fox deterrents, after she said the animals were causing trouble and disruption in the area.
Hilary Kenny, of Edgeworth Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, said urban foxes live in tunnels opposite her house.
The local council said they had no authority to deal with foxes but offered advice to mitigate the problem.
“It’s causing a lot of stress on the people who live here and it’s destroying our quality of life,” Ms Kenny said.
“They leave poo on front doors, dig big holes, steal children’s toys and dogs from gardens… We don’t know what to do about it.”
He added that one neighbor lost four rabbits to foxes, while another’s dog was attacked by one.
Research from Brighton University suggests there are 150,000 foxes living in towns and cities across the UK.
Cull attempts proved unsuccessful and fox control was abandoned in the 1980s.
A spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council said: “Foxes are classed as wild animals, not pests, and the council has no statutory powers or legal rights to cull foxes on private or another land.”
The council referred people affected by foxes to their website, which includes advice on how to mitigate fox problems, such as ensuring bins are secure and using non-toxic animal repellents.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust says when our habitats collide with wild animals, we need to learn to live alongside them.
“The foxes seem protected, but we’re not,” Ms Kenny said.
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