HOW can gardeners help hedgehogs hibernate? Expert Emily Wilson looks at the dos and don’ts of giving our prickly friends a helping hand.

DO...

Put a hole in or under your fence so hedgehogs will be able to roam further to forage for food, water and shelter.

Put out food to help recovering mothers and underweight yearlings fatten up. You could try using meaty dog/cat food and a bowl of water.

Leave an area of your garden to go wild – brambles, log piles and leaf piles are all perfect places for hedgehogs to make cosy a hibernation nest.

DON’T...

Start a bonfire without checking. Piles of leaves and sticks offer a perfect nest.

Have a good rummage under your debris for hedgehogs before lighting a bonfire.

Use slug pellets. Try to use a natural alternative to pesticides as not only will they reduce the number of insects available for hedgehogs to eat, they might make them very ill, or even kill them.