Fox unmasked as Bourne shoe thief

  • The fox was seen running through Lucy Hancock's garden with a shoe

Residents who were left mystified after shoes went missing from their doorsteps have caught the culprit on CCTV – a fox with a fondness for footwear.

People in Bourne, Lincolnshire, were left speculating about what had happened after a number of shoes disappeared.

But the mystery was solved when CCTV captured a fox carrying away trainers from resident Lucy Hancock's garden.

She posted a video of the fox on Facebook, writing: "If anyone finds a random grey New Balance trainer around Harvey Close/Westwood Drive area, please let me know!

"My husband left them outside our front door Monday night. Tuesday morning they were gone. On checking the cameras, it appears a fox has nabbed them both overnight."

She added her husband later found one on a grass verge, but could not find the other.

"Then this morning the fox has appeared again in our back garden carrying the second trainer and has run off back up the road with it," she added.

She told ITV News: "We genuinely thought someone had stolen them from the front of the house and I wouldn't have believed it was a fox unless we got it on camera."

The fox returned to Lucy Hancock's garden with someone else's show. Credit: Lucy Hancock

In a follow-up post, Lucy said the fox had then returned with an unidentified shoe "as an apology". Alongside a picture of the shoe, she wrote: "If anyone in Harvey Close/Westwood Drive area is missing a shoe, we appear to have acquired one this morning."

In response Alice Handley said the shoe belonged to her step-father.

"He had a play in their garden last night too," she wrote.

Another Facebook user, Adrian Randall, wrote: "We've recently moved to Harvey Close and have seen the foxes over the last few weeks.

"I looked behind the shed yesterday and they have dug a hole under the hedge to get to the next property.

"I also found a Jack Jones shoe and I think it's got some plaster on it. If you're missing your work shoe I can return it."

Gary Waterhouse added: "This is better than any Netflix series."

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