A fox has died after getting tangled in a football goal net.

RSPCA inspector Zenon Brown was called to the Hextable Primary School on January 2 after a member of the public spotted the trapped fox.

Inspector Brown said: “The fox was three feet from the main fence. It was smothered in netting and tightly entangled in it. I had few options as the fence could not be climbed.

“The fox was clearly stressed and suffering and leaving it overnight was not an option as it would have suffered further.”

Inspector Brown tried to find a way to gain access to the Rowhill Road school to release the animal, but it was not possible.

The kindest option, Inspector Brown said, was to humanely euthanase the fox.

The RSPCA deals with hundreds of wild animals trapped in netting every year, from hedgehogs to deer.

Many become injured as a result of struggling in the netting and have to be taken to specialist wildlife centres for care and eventual release back into the wild.

If not rescued, animals are at risk of suffering a long and painful death through injury or starvation.

Inspector Brown added: “These rescues are very stressful for the animal and hazardous to the rescuer because you are dealing with a wild animal that is struggling to free itself and suffering terribly.

“It may have been looking for food in the wildness of a garden or an area like this and accidentally walked into the net. Unlike us, they do not know to back up and step out.

“These situations can be avoided if people were to remove or raise netting when it is not in use and store it away in a shed or garage.

"We would urge anyone with netting on their property to check it regularly for trapped wildlife.”