Thank you for your suggestions, I thought it may be a fox as I know they live in towns and I have seen them around the house, but I know there are no chickens nearby, would they travel far to find the eggs . this is still a mistery to me. I would love you know some ideas on this.thanks.
I have watched a fox take a box of eggs from my neighbour's doorstep when the milkman has delivered them. Foxy then came into my garden, carefully opened the box, eats a couple then digs up my garden places an egg in hole and covers it back up using his nose!