Fox-bite toddler a brave little boy – parents

Three-year-old Jake Jermy was bitten on his arm after disturbing a fox hiding beneath a temporary building while at a party in Brighton, East Sussex.

The incident took place at the Dorothy Stringer playgroup, next to a high school, and comes a fortnight after twins were mauled by a fox in Hackney, east London.

Jake was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton where he was treated and released following the attack at mid-day on Saturday, Sussex Police said.

In a statement last night, his parents, Sam and Jacqui Jermy, both 35, said: "Jake was attending a private party at the Dorothy Stringer nursery on Saturday and was playing in the playground area.

"Jake told us he was going to get a ball from under one of the sheds. Jake, I'm sure, disturbed the fox and the fox responded and bit him.

"Since then he has recovered really well and is in really good spirits and is a brave little boy. We don't feel there is anything else to be said."

Officials at the playgroup, which has been operating for more than 35 years, said they had been aware of foxes in the area for "some time" but had been told by "a local wildlife expert" that they posed no danger to people.

The playgroup was closed yesterday and staff were awaiting the arrival of a pest control company as officials said their temporary building was due to be demolished to make way for a new building within weeks.

In a statement, the playgroup said that is was to close temporarily as it looked at how to best ensure the safety of its children and staff.

The latest incident comes a fortnight after nine-month-old twins Isabella and Lola Koupparis were attacked after a fox crept into their upstairs bedroom in Hackney.

It is thought to have got in through a door on the ground floor of the three-storey house, which was left open because of the hot weather.

Trevor Weeks, founder of the charity East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service, called for a proportionate response to this latest attack.

He said: "The fox did not attack the child – it was defending itself. There is a significant difference. Any wild animal is going to turn round and bite if you grab its tail."

He went on to add: "Foxes do not go round attacking each other, let alone people."