AN ANIMAL charity received over 250 calls relating to hedgehogs in Greater Manchester last year.

The RSPCA dealt with 268 concerns involving the mammal in the city region, as it warns there will be another spike this summer.

A total of 6,200 calls about sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs were made to the RSPCA’s national helpline in 2020, 1855 of which were made in July and August alone compared to just 199 calls taken in January and February.

Across 2020, an average of five hedgehogs per day were admitted to one of the charity’s four specialist wildlife centres, but in the peak months of July and August, this rose to an average of eight per day - the equivalent of one poorly or orphaned hedgehog every three hours.

The charity has shared advice on how to keep create a safe garden for this iconic animal.

The RSPCA’s Scientific Officer Evie Button said: “July and August are our busiest months for hedgehogs.

"Not only do calls about hedgehogs peak, but so do admissions to our four wildlife centres as members of the public and our own officers bring in orphaned, sick or injured animals for treatment and rehabilitation.

"Please remember to remove sports and fruit netting, cover drains and holes, check before using a strimmer or mower, look in compost heaps before forking over and avoid using slug pellets as these are poisonous to hedgehogs.

“During the summer months, only intervene straight away if you find a baby hedgehog in immediate danger (such as on a road), a baby hedgehog that weighs less than 300g (about apple-sized) without an adult hedgehog nearby, or if the baby is sick, injured or surrounded by flies.”