Name: Fox-proofing.

Age: Pretty new.

Appearance: Some makeshift combination of netting, planks, bricks, metal spikes, bits of fence and even wellies.

I guess it can be pretty difficult to keep a determined fox off your raised beds. This isn’t for the garden – it’s to stop foxes damaging your car.

Your car? It’s a particular problem in the suburbs of the south-east: Kent, Sussex, Greater London.

Which bits of the cars are they damaging? The brake cables, mostly.

That sounds a bit, erm, premeditated. But not just brakes; they also chew through tyre pressure sensors and electric charging cables.

Is this common? It’s happening more frequently. Residents of Sidcup, in south London, have recently been forced to fox-proof their vehicles at night in an attempt to prevent thousands of pounds of damage.

Is it working? Not that well. The foxes have ignored ultrasonic alarms and repellents and shredded plastic netting to get at the cars.

How long has this been going on? As far back as 2009 Kent police were warning motorists to check their brakes before setting off, after a rash of cases.

Why are foxes going in for this sort of vandalism? No one is sure, although one theory holds that they’re attracted by the smell of soy-based cable insulation, lately introduced as an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based materials.

They love the smell of wiring? “Once they start to nibble they like the taste and they will keep coming back for more,” said the AA’s Jack Cousens.

I suppose this is also to do with an explosion in urban fox numbers. Not really – urban fox populations are remarkably self-regulating, and they aren’t thought to have expanded significantly.

Then why am I suddenly seeing foxes everywhere? Am I delusional? It’s likely that urban foxes have become less afraid of people over time. It’s even been suggested that red foxes in the UK are “self-domesticating” – developing more dog-like traits in order to survive in close contact with humans.

My dog has done some bad things in his time, but he’s never cut my brake cables. When it comes to domestication, foxes have some way to go.

Have you got any sound and secure way for me to fox-proof my Qashqai? The rangers of Sequoia national park in California have a handy tip: lay out a tarpaulin, drive on to it, and pull it up tight round your car, securing it in place with rope. They do it to stop marmots, but it should work on foxes.

Do say: “I’m sorry I’m unprepared and late. My dog ate my homework, and a fox ate my brakes.”

Don’t say: “Please – just come out from under the car, and I’ll buy you all a takeaway.”