Developers re-home fox cubs at landmark leather site
Builders redeveloping a former leather factory in Northampton to make way for housing were surprised to discover that a ‘family’ had already made itself at home.
The fox cubs were unexpectedly unearthed by Lagan Homes employees who are constructing 120 new homes in the grounds of the former Pearce Leather Works.
Site manager Paul Neal explained: “We were moving digger loads of top soil and found three fox cubs in the digger, fortunately still alive. We were all surprised at first and weren’t sure what they were – they looked like Labrador pups and we thought they were either puppies or fox cubs. The lads all came running to see them and carried on digging by hand and found three more in the den.”
An internet image search helped the team confirm that they had found a fox den.
The cubs were put in a box while Paul sought advice from the RSPCA, who told him that if he left the cubs near where they were found the mother would come back for them.
“At Lagan Homes we’re committed to delivering outstanding levels of care and attention to detail in the homes we build and are very careful when it comes to protecting wildlife. The site was empty for a number of years and when we cleared the area last year there were no signs of any foxes living on site. The top soil had been there for some time and the mother must have decided to make her den there,” Paul said.
The cubs were left next to the den wrapped in a towel, with a hot water bottle to keep them warm. But Paul and his team didn’t leave it at that.
“It was a cold, clear night and if the mother didn’t go back they wouldn’t have survived the night on their own. I went back at 10pm to make sure they were okay but they had gone and the towel and hot water bottle had been pulled out,” Paul added. “If they had still been there in the morning I would have taken them to the RSPCA.”
“The cubs were the first thing the lads asked about on the Monday because they were all concerned about them. Foxes have since been spotted around the front of the site by the factory.”
With the fox cubs’ housing needs taken care of, Lagan Homes has continued with its work to redevelop the former Pearce Leather Works site with a range of new homes in Arts & Crafts and Art Deco designs. Both architectural styles were prevalent in domestic housing from the turn of the century and in the 1930s, when the Pearce Leather Works factory opened.
The new housing development, accessed via Fishponds Road, will launch officially in May with the opening of the sales centre, show home and view home.
Would-be home owners can register their interest in the properties and secure an invitation to the launch event by emailing: home.info@lagan-group.com
