A DISABLED woman says she was told the removal of a rotting dead fox from her garden is “not a priority” for the council.

Sixty five-year-old Caroline Young has told of her frustration after claiming BCP Council told her it would take two to three days to collect a fox corpse from her Bournemouth home.

Caroline, who suffers with Multiple Sclerosis, was alerted to the dead animal by a visitor to the house on Monday.

“The person who walks my dog turned up on Monday morning at about half past eight and told me there was a dead fox on the lawn.

“I got onto the council, and they said there was nothing they could do and that I had to bag it up in two bags.”

Housebound, and with a husband recovering from cancer, Caroline turned to a neighbour who helped her to bag and box the animal. It was then placed on the pavement outside the house in anticipation of its collection.

She said: “I then phoned the council back. They said there’s nothing they could do that day; it will be about two or three days until we can get to you to collect it.”

Bournemouth Echo: The fox has been bagged and boxed for collection.The fox has been bagged and boxed for collection.

On Wednesday afternoon, the boxed animal could still be seen - and smelt - outside Caroline’s home.

She said: “It stinks. I’ve had to keep the windows shut. I don’t want the stench of it to come in.

“It’s ridiculous- we pay nearly £200 a month in council tax and they can’t get someone out here to pick this smelly fox up.

“It’s just the principle.”

Caroline has now made multiple phone calls to the council over the animal’s collection.

She added: “They said it’s not a priority and maybe we could take it to the tip. I said- ‘you must be joking!’

“Theres no way I can do it, and my husband’s been going through chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I can’t expect him to do it.

“I think it’s a health hazard and it’s got to be crawling in maggots by now. If it was a dead animal on the side of the road they’d come and pick it up.”

The Daily Echo has contacted BCP Council for comment and passed on a reference number.

The council responded this morning to say the fox had been collected. They said there would be no further comment.