VIDEO: Hedgehog SOS as North West organisation warns the prickly population is in decline

They’re known as the cute critters that can be found rummaging around at the bottom of our gardens, often hiding under a pile of leaves - but we’re being warned that hedgehogs could soon become extinct if numbers continue to decline at current rates.

New figures show the population of hedgehogs in the countryside has halved since 2000.

One Hedgehog Rescue Centre in the north west is currently nursing more than 250 of the animals back to health and is urging people to help - before it’s too late.

Jeanette Jones, from Chorley, dedicates her life, and her home, to caring for the prickly creatures which are kept in specially adapted plastic boxes filled with food and bedding in her kitchen, living room, shed and garage.

It’s a full time operation at a cost of more than £5,000 a month to keep the animals fed, watered and medicated with the necessary treatments before they can be released back into the wild in the summer.

Jeanette told us we need to act to protect them now: “They’re gorgeous creatures and they don’t deserve this. I feel so passionately about them because a lot of it is down to human error: it’s our fault.

“Hedgehogs need hedgerows, gardens and woodland but lots of buildings are going up as councils give the go ahead to more and more housing estates.

“Climate change is also an issue which means they’re breading too late in the year which can be very confusing for hedgehogs who need lots of insects to eat in the summer - but in the winter there’s nothing for them.

“You’ve also got road accidents - people don’t stop to help a hedgehog cross the road which is why a lot of them end up flattened.

“If you know that you’ve got hedgehogs in your garden please feed them and never stop putting water out for them.”

Jeanette hopes to expand the centre in the near future with a dedicated and purpose built site to cater for all the animals in need. She hopes to educate young people about what they can do for generations to come to protect hedgehogs: “Here in Lancashire we need a place to house every hedgehog that needs to be fixed and looked after and given the chance of a life.

“Eventually we want to be able to invite all the schools and Brownie groups and teach children to learn to respect our wildlife.”

If you’d like to support the Chorley Hedgehog Rescue Centre you can find out more information HERE.

The centre is constantly in need of meat flavoured cat food, newspapers, towels, foster carers and cash donations to support the ongoing effort to care for the animals throughout the year.