Four men have been catching and torturing foxes in east London – with one member of the public woken up by the sound of the animal's screams. 

Police said the group are believed to regularly go to a wooded area near Kestrel Avenue and Linton Gardens in Beckton in the early hours.

They are described as four black men, aged about 18 to 20. 

"Enquiries have established that the group regularly go to the area in the early hours of the morning and have reportedly previously captured and tortured foxes – including starting fires to smoke them out of their dens and setting their dogs on them," a Met Police spokesperson said.

An animal rescue group contacted police on Monday, February 27, after a fox had reportedly been set on fire in the area. 

It was a member of the public who had contacted the group, after being awoken at around 1am that morning to the sounds of screaming. 

Initially thinking it was a human making the sounds, they said that upon inspection, they saw a group of men pouring what is believed to be lighter fluid on a fox and setting it alight. 

Police said the fox managed to escape, but was badly burnt, with the extent of its injuries, or whether it was able to survive, unknown. 

Det Con James Mahoney, a wildlife crime officer in Newham and Waltham Forest, said: “I am truly shocked and sickened by these appalling, cruel incidents and I would appeal to anyone with information to come forward so we can catch those responsible and prevent any more foxes from being hurt. 

“If you live in the area, please check any doorbell, dash cam or CCTV footage in case you’ve captured these heinous crimes or a group of males matching the description loitering around.  

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“It is also possible that the group are not just targeting foxes in the Kestrel Avenue area, and so I’d urge the people of Newham to remain vigilant and report any information to us or Crimestoppers anonymously.” 

Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD 2533/27FEB. 

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.