Early mornings can be a struggle - some prefer to wake up with a coffee and a browse of the newspaper, others energise themselves with exercise and a splash of cold water.

But these urban foxes opted for a leisurely stretch in a Muswell Hill garden to ease themselves into the day.

They were spotted by Steve Poole and his daughter at 7am on Thursday (February 13) in Palace Gates Road, near Alexandra Palace.

Mr Poole - a pet photographer for ruffco.studio - said of his garden guests: "They're lovely creatures - we're all dog lovers and the foxes are a close relative.

"My daughter has seen them before - we think there's a family living nearby - and they've been quite reserved. We expected them to run off at any time."

According to the British Trust for Ornithology, there are 18 foxes per square km in London, making it the second most densely populated urban area for foxes in Britain after Bournemouth, which has 23 per sq km.

Mr Poole added: "Some people might see them as a pest but we enjoy having them around."