Portchester village gripped by fox gang damaging brakes and car exteriors

A quiet Hampshire village now faces an unlikely and persistent menace: a gang of foxes accused by residents of gnawing through brake wires, climbing over cars, and leaving a costly wake of repairs. Portchester, famed for its medieval castle and a Roman fort, has become a focal point for a problem that many locals say has worsened over the past couple of years, turning routine commutes and business deliveries into near-daily headaches.

In recent weeks, a Portchester garage has logged roughly ten customers dealing with damage attributed to the marauding animals and, in one case, even a damaged ABS system that left a driver unable to brake. The pattern, according to workers at the local workshop, is clear: eight or nine separate incidents have surfaced in a relatively short span, all involving either gnawed brake lines or clawed and scratched parts on vehicles parked on or near residents’ homes. The village has become so accustomed to the problem that some residents have begun employing DIY deterrents, ranging from chilli powder applied to brake components to garlic spray and even Vicks VapoRub as makeshift repellents.

The trail of damage has left drivers wary about what they leave parked outside, and some say the costs are mounting fast. One driver, Terry Stroud, a window cleaner who has lived in Portchester for nearly 15 years, described a morning when he discovered his van’s braking system was compromised and realized he could not brake properly. After taking the vehicle to Portchester Autos, a mechanic confirmed that foxes had been behind the fault. Stroud later estimated the repair cost at almost £350, covering the fix to the brake system, a refill of brake fluid, and a new sensor, and he ended up missing a day of work because of the incident.

The scale of the issue has prompted a wider discussion among residents and local tradespeople. Jack Burton, a mechanic at the same garage, said the shop has seen eight or nine similar cases in recent times in this historic village. He described a routine that has grown into a nightly ritual for some families: placing prickle mats under cars as a deterrent, with the aim of making it uncomfortable for foxes to linger around the undercarriage. Burton emphasized that some nights are better than others, and a lapse—like forgetting the traps for a single night—can lead to further damage.

The problem is not isolated to one part of town. Annmarie Stallard, 33, who lives nearby, reported a troubling pattern in which her anti-lock braking system cables were attacked on two occasions in September last year. Each repair ran into the hundreds of pounds, and she has since employed additional precautionary measures to protect her Hyundai IX35, including mounting sensors and cables in armored trunking so they cannot be easily reached by the animals on top of the vehicle. Stallard stressed how essential her car is for work, noting that she must drive roughly 20 miles to reach her shop and to collect goods for her business. "I rely on my car for commuting to my shop and for business deliveries, so the impact goes beyond the price of repairs,” she said. “If you lose your brakes or lose the ability to brake, you’re putting yourself and others at risk."

The range of damage has extended beyond the braking system. Yvona Hamarová, who lives in the village, recounted episodes where foxes scratched the car bonnet and windscreen after climbing onto the vehicle. She described the broader toll on daily life: a fence had to be rebuilt after persistent animal activity, gardening items like plant pots were chewed, and a hot tub was damaged. Hamarová recalled cleaning up after the animals and even dealing with diarrhoea on the driveway—an unsettling reminder of the scale this issue has reached for households that rely on their vehicles for work and daily routines.

Local residents have suggested that a subset of the fox population may be especially attracted to cables and wiring, a theory echoed by automotive safety groups that have tracked similar incidents elsewhere. The AA motoring organisation has previously speculated that brake wires may be appealing to foxes due to the taste or texture of the materials used for cable casings. Fox deterrence companies, such as Foxagon, have noted that some car manufacturers coat cables with animal fats, which could tempt animals to chew, while soy-based insulators have also been cited as potential attractants. Foxagon has said it regularly receives calls about munched wires and has itself faced damage to its own fleet of service vehicles. The firm has recommended protective measures, including metal cable protectors designed to deter gnawing beneath vehicles.

For residents, the nuisance is more than a financial burden; it raises safety concerns about the practical ability to stop a vehicle in an emergency. Stroud said he had been nearly unable to brake when he first discovered the fault, describing a moment of fear about potentially harming schoolchildren nearby, given his location on a street with regular traffic and pedestrians during peak hours. The incident underscores a real tension between the charm of rural settings and the vulnerabilities that come with wildlife sharing spaces with humans.

Among the other residents to speak on the issue is a neighbor who suggested that a small minority of locals who feed foxes may be contributing to the problem by encouraging a feral appetite. The dynamics of the fox activity in Portchester appear to involve not only vehicle damage but also repeated infrastructure impacts, including repurposed responses like spiked mats and busier maintenance cycles for car owners who must upgrade damaged components to ensure roadworthiness.

Portchester’s winding lanes and historic sites have long drawn visitors and residents alike, but the present situation has shifted the town’s rhythms. The issues have not been tied to a single cause or a simple solution; instead, they reflect a convergence of wildlife dynamics, vehicle design features, and human responses. The village’s unique combination of medieval heritage and modern mobility creates a context in which even routine tasks, such as addressing a misbehaving ABS sensor or planning a routine car service, can become complicated by wildlife incursions.

As residents continue to adapt, some are turning to community-driven deterrents, while others defer to professional advice and ongoing research into the materials used in modern automotive wiring. In Portchester, the foxes’ presence has become a daily reminder of the balancing act required when human settlements and wild animals share increasingly overlapping habitats. Local authorities have not issued formal updates this week, but residents say the situation remains a priority for those who live and work in the village. The broader takeaway is that the Portchester case is part of a wider conversation about how communities manage wildlife interactions in areas with dense housing, aging infrastructure, and reliance on personal transport for everyday life.