A TRAIL of broken glass and shredded packets of crisps was not the only surprise awaiting staff when they walked in to The Beehive yesterday as they came face to face with their intruder– a fox hidden under furniture.

When bartender Tim Carter arrived at the pub in Prospect Hill at 10am yesterday, he was welcomed by glasses littering the floor, chewed curtains, remnants of crisps and what appeared to be animal droppings.

Convinced this was the work of a rat he went about clearing up the damage.

But nearly two hours later, cleaning the floor by one of the doors, his hand came within an inch of a furry ball under a bench.

It turned out to be a fox – which seemed in no hurry to leave.

“It made me jump,” said Tim. “I went to pick up one of the things that were chewed up and it was an inch from my hand. We expected it to be a rat, or a dog.

“When I came in I started picking everything up and Andy came at 11.50am and that’s when we realised the fox was there. It was hiding under a bench and watching us.”

Tim and manager Andy Marcer are convinced the fox broke in through the chimney, which would explain the suspicious cluster of black soot and strange prints around the fireplace.

The incident came just two-and-a- half weeks after the Beehive’s official reopening following a refurbishment.

Andy added: “We found a bit of damage when we came in and found the culprit under the bench.

“We think he came through the chimney. There is a lot of soot around it and footprints. “The damage was nothing major, just a few little things. We had a refit for about six weeks and we reopened two and half weeks ago. The bar overhang was boxed in and we opened it up and had new lighting put in.”

After a few pokes with a broom and a heavy push out of the door, Andy, together with his stocktaker Ian Hurst and Tim, managed to get rid of the animal. We started wistfully poking it with a broom,” said Tim. “It didn’t want to leave but we got him out.”