Tiger poo is the ideal way to ward off domestic moggies and urban foxes, a brave Surbiton volunteer has discovered.

Pan Hillier, from Queen's Drive, Surbiton, took the tiger poo challenge over the weekend after Chessington World of Adventures' decided to auction off a year's supply for the NSPCC.

Taking just a days' produce from the Leatherhead Road park's two tigers, Mrs Hillier spread the muck, which has an overpowering whiff of over-ripe camembert.

She said: "We put it down along the fence where the fox came over and along the back fence where the cats come through.

"It seems to be working, as I have not seen either and the cats come every day. It has not deterred the squirrel though.

"I did think it would work because I had read about it working with lion poo rather than tiger poo. I like birds and feed the birds but the cats are a nuisance."

The lucky bidder to win the eBay auction is as yet unknown, but has paid £241 for the year's supply, which will have to be picked up from the park.

One tiger produces about a pound of dung each day, so Ratna and Batu could be providing up to 750lbs to the lucky bidder.

The idea came following research carried out at the University of Queensland, Australia, which found tiger dung was an effective way of scaring off smaller animals.

But unlike Mrs Hillier, or more accurately her unlucky daughter Trish who actually spread the muck, Dr Peter Murray and his team were not so keen to handle the dung in raw form. Instead they creating a liquid distillation of the smell.

So far the repellent odour has put off goats, kangaroos, pigs and rabbits, which is sure to please farmers - neighbours in suburban London may be slightly less enthusiastic, especially if they get a whiff while dining al fresco.

Visit chessington.com for more on the tigers, and even a video of the birth of a sea lion taken this summer.