Fox found hiding in chewed up Portsmouth launderette

The fox is thought to have been hiding in the building since Friday

An elusive fox that tore up the inside of a launderette has been discovered hiding on the premises five days later.

The owners of newly-opened The Laundry Room in Portsmouth were alerted by a flurry of social media posts after the animal was first spotted inside the building by people in the street.

It had ripped up the decor inside, but attempts to find it had proved futile.

The RSPCA has now found the furtive fox hiding in a back room and have taken it away to safety.

It was first spotted in the laundrette by passers-by in the street

Owner Tariq Danba said he was "relieved" the ordeal was over.

He hypothesised that the fox had been in the building the whole time and may have been using the air vents to get around.

Owner Tariq Danba thinks it may have been using the air vents to get around

The RSPCA found the fox hiding in a room at the back of the laundrette

Mr Danba previously told the BBC: "I got notified first on Friday night by some passers-by who saw the fox literally just tearing through everything in the shop."

The leader of Portsmouth City Council Gerald Vernon-Jackson even tweeted about the incident after being informed by a resident.

The mangling mammal returned the following day and inflicted more damage, leading the owners to try leaving it a trail of food to lead it away from the premises.

Fittings throughout the premises were torn up by the fox

Mr Danba said: "It tore through the paper on the walls, the signs inside, the LED lighting. I got the windows vinyled, it just tore through that.

"Mirrors were broken. You'd think a person came in but everything's been chewed, you've got paw prints everywhere, all over the table and counter, the ceiling's come down, the chairs."

The business received help from another launderette to ensure that clothes for upcoming weddings and funerals were ready on time.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: "Our animal rescuers were able to carefully set a trap to catch the fox before helping the trapped mammal to safety.

"Thankfully the fox was uninjured and was released back into the wild nearby."