It is intended to be an ultra-modern central London office that will serve Google for decades, but the new £1bn headquarters is beset by one of humanity’s oldest-known pests: foxes.
The canines have taken over the rooftop garden of the new “landscraper” in King’s Cross and had an impact on construction – although the company stressed it was “minimal”.
The infestation, first reported by the newsletter London Centric, was confirmed by sources familiar with the construction. One told the Guardian it had been a rolling three-year saga and said some foxes had begun to dig burrows in the perfectly manicured grounds.
“There’s a little hole in the garden where one lives,” they said. “We’ve seen her all around the building – one second she’s on the fifth floor, the next she’s on the garden floor. No one has been able to catch her.”