Help! I’m in a bit of a pickle

This hefty hedgehog sparked a 3am call to the RSPCA after finding itself in a sticky situation. The prickly porker was wedged tight between the metal bars of a gate in Tudor Road, Wincheap, prompting a resident to call the charity.

Inspector Deborah Pert turned out in the early hours to help free the distressed animal.

She said: “A woman got in touch with us after the hedgehog, who’d been snuffling around the garden, was spooked and ran into the gate.

“It looks as though he thought he’d get through the gap between the metal bars but was a little wide around the waist to make it and got himself wedged.

“The lady had tried to free the hedgehog but couldn’t get him out.

“Luckily, I was able to carefully wriggle him free, although it did take some time. He was very scared so kept trying to curl up and I had to continue encouraging him to uncurl again. It took lots of patience.

“Thankfully, he wasn’t injured so I released him back into the night.”

The RSPCA says people should take care around wild animals, which can bite or scratch if distressed or cornered. It advises calling the charity’s 24-hour emergency line on 0300 1234999 for help.