Fox cubs rescued after falling into concrete pits

The fox cubs have been given a bath and are being cared for by the RSPCA

Four fox cubs that suffered serious injuries when they fell into deep concrete pits are being cared for by a wildlife centre.

The RSPCA said the first cub was rescued from a construction site in Cannock on 29 April, followed another the following day and then two more on 1 May.

The charity said workers called them after discovering the cubs at the bottom of 19.6ft pits (6m), covered in oil.

They are believed to be from the same litter, although their mum is thought to have died.

RSPCA animal rescue officer Sophie Taylor helped retrieve two of the fox cubs

RSPCA animal rescue officer Sophie Taylor said: “It was a steep descent and I was amazed but relieved to find they hadn’t broken any bones.

“The pits were huge and they were difficult to spot at first, but they were well and truly stranded down there, there was absolutely no way out for them.”

The cubs are now being cared for by a team at the charity’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Nantwich and are expected to make a full recovery.

Centre manager Lee Stewart said the cubs were covered in oil when they arrived and their coats smelt of chemicals.

“They’ll be carefully monitored by our wildlife team and will be with us for about six months.

“They’ll be joined over time by other fox cubs, most of whom will also have been orphaned.”

The foxes fell into the pits on a construction site

The team will then find them a safe space where they can be released and supported before they venture off to establish their own territory.

The RSPCA said workers at the site where they were found will try to close entry ways and keep an eye out for further cubs.

A thorough search of the immediate area was carried out, they added, but no other foxes were seen.