A FOUR-legged shoe loving thief is on the loose in a housing estate.

A fleet-footed fox has been stealing trainers from gardens in Kingston Dock in the middle of the night and running off with them.

The curious case might have remained a mystery if it wasn't for a community group stumbling across an impressive shoe collection while cleaning up litter along the waterfront.

Clean-up organiser Jacci Stoyle said: "Residents had reported shoes going missing then someone spotted a fox with one.

"When we were out cleaning up on the grass we found lots of soft toys and trainers in a big heap.

"It looks like the foxes are taking the soft toys and trainers away and leaving them in a pile.

"Unfortunately, the rest of the rubbish is dumped by humans."