Our vanishing hedgehogs

AT RISK Hedgehog HEDGEHOG numbers in our gardens are down again, a wildlife survey suggests.

Some 57% of gardeners did not see one at all last year, compared to 51% in 2016 and 48% the year before.

Only 9% said they spotted hedgehogs regularly in their garden in 2017, down from 12% in 2016, in the survey for BBC Gardeners’ World magazine. More gardeners know how to help them, however, with 39% stopping the use of slug pellets.

Kevin Smith, the magazine’s deputy editor, said: “It’s alarming to see numbers of our cherished hedgehogs decline.

“On a positive note, British gardeners are doing more than ever to try to save them.”