ANGRY residents have hit out after a fox was mauled to death in front of shocked witnesses and the body left to rot.

Other residents of the ironically-named Foxes Bank Drive in Chesterton, Cirencester later found the ripped-apart remains of the animal on Monday afternoon.

One Chesterton resident took to social media site Facebook to express his concerns, posting a picture of the dead fox he had found almost on his front doorstep.

“Who said that fox hunting was banned?” he asked. “Over 20 hounds came into Foxes Bank Drive and cornered and mauled the fox before dropping it in my neighbour’s front garden.

“We know it is illegal which is why no huntsmen followed,” he continued. “They can claim they were not following it and the hounds must have ‘picked up the scent’.”

Facebook friends of his showed their disgust at what had happened by commenting on the photo.

Users described it as “horrendous”, “horrific”, “traumatising” with one user asking: “Imagine if the kids saw it happening?”

It was heard that the Master of the Hunt came to apologise on Tuesday for the incident.

It is unclear yet which hunt was involved in the incident. More follows.