LESS than half of Britons have seen a hedgehog in their garden in the past year, according to a survey which suggests the well-loved prickly mammal continues to struggle.
An annual survey for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine found 51 per cent of people had not seen a hedgehog at all, more than the 48 per cent who reported a total absence in last year’s poll.
Only around one in eight respondents (12 per cent) had seen a hedgehog regularly, while some 37 per cent had spotted one in their garden, but not for a long time.
But the survey suggests people are keen to save the species, with the majority (60 per cent) taking action to help its plight.
More than a third (36 per cent) of the 2,619 people who responded to the survey had avoided using slug pellets and 34 per cent left leaves and twigs for shelter.
A quarter (26 per cent) had checked for the mammals before strimming and more than a fifth (21 per cent) checked bonfires before lighting them.
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