A FOX had to be put down after his leg was horrifically snapped by an illegal trap.

The animal had crawled into a storage shed at a Potters Bar timber yard with the leg-hold trap still attached to his leg.

Sickened staff at Wood Green Timber, in Coopers Lane, called in RSPCA officers, who had to put the fox to sleep because he was in so much pain and the injuries were so severe.

This week the RSPCA condemned those responsible for setting the trap, and appealed for their use to be stopped.

RSPCA animal welfare officer Kate Cornell said: “This trap had completely snapped the poor fox’s leg. It was truly horrific.

“We have no idea where this trap had been laid, the fox had managed to free the stake attached to it, and then dragged itself to the timber yard.”

She added: “We now want to warn people in the area to take extra care when out and about with their animals.”

The device is similar to a gin trap, which have been banned in England since 1954.

It is designed to catch an animal by its leg, using spring-operated jaws with teeth or a serrated edge.

Some traps are still being used to illegally catch rabbits and foxes, although domestic animals like cats also fall foul of them.

The sale and possession of such traps is not illegal, but you can be prosecuted for setting them and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Anyone found guilty could be jailed for six months, and face a fine of up to �20,000.