A Surrey resident has written to the local council 18 times about the “terrible, sulphurous stench” from his neighbour’s fox sanctuary which has left him feeling “ready to vomit” and trapped in his own home
Russell Favell, 60, a heating and building engineer, has endured the pungent odours emanating from his neighbour’s property in Grayshott since December 2016.
“It’s the kind of smell that sticks in your nose and throat; it clings to your clothes. It’s like rotten eggs but worse,” said Favell.
The smell was so overwhelming that he and his partner were forced to keep all doors and windows shut.
The foxes (not pictured) were kept by Juliet Auburn in home-made pens behind her £800,000 home on the border between Surrey and Hampshire
Getty
“We couldn’t hang out laundry and we had to keep all the doors and windows shut, making us prisoners in our own homes,” he added.
The foxes were kept by Juliet Auburn in home-made pens behind her £800,000 home on the border between Surrey and Hampshire.
Council officers reported that Auburn maintained an average of 16 foxes at any given time at the property.
The situation began shortly after Auburn moved in on Christmas Eve 2016, when she started taking in injured foxes from vets and wildlife shelters.
ANIMAL NEWS LATEST:
The ‘fox sanctuary’ in located in the village of Grayshott
Wikimedia Commons
The East Hampshire district council (EHDC) first handed Auburn an abatement notice in 2017 following complaints about smells from the fox pens.
Initially, Favell tried to maintain good relations with Auburn, even attending New Year’s Eve party at her home in early 2018.
That evening proved pivotal when Auburn attempted to hand Favell a fox wearing a dog nappy, which she described as “brain damaged.”
Favell made 18 attempts to contact the council about the situation, expressing growing frustration with their lack of engagement.
In December 2020, Auburn was told she needed planning permission for the pens, despite earlier council advice to the contrary.
A police wildlife officer investigated Favell in summer 2021 after Auburn filmed him using a backpack sprayer, suspecting wildlife poisoning.
East Hampshire District Council took Auburn to court over the foxesPAFavell explained he was merely using a water-based deodorising spray to combat fox urine on his lawn.
The council served Auburn with a Community Protection Notice in October 2021.
“During lockdown she had people visiting all the time to help with the foxes,” said Favell. “One woman came from London most days with a people-carrier full of dog food.”
The council’s prosecution of Auburn for breaching the 2017 Abatement Notice failed in October 2023.
The saga has severely impacted local property values, with one neighbour’s house being devalued by £350,000, with estate agents refusing to market it.
Council pollution team leader Charlotte Adcock described the smell during a May 2023 visit as “overpowering, sickly sweet” and said it made her feel ill.
Auburn won her legal case against the council and had her costs covered.
She continues to maintain a GoFundMe page for “J and P Foxes” which has raised over £14,700.
“I haven’t spoken to the press before,” said Favell, “because I don’t want to look like the bad guy.”