WILDLIFE charity workers have rescued a pregnant hedgehog whose head became trapped under a fence on a footpath.

Trevor Weeks - founder of The East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) - used a hammer as a lever to help raise the fence and free the animal.

He said the spines of the hedgehog had made it difficult to free her.

Trevor took the hedgehog from the footpath between Lewes Road and Shelley Road in Ringmer to the WRAS Casualty Centre on the A22 at Whitesmith near Hailsham because he suspected she was pregnant.

He said: "The ultrasound showed that she could well be pregnant which our vet later confirmed, so after a check over we couldn’t find any signs of injury or illness and decided to bed her down for the day and release her in the evening.

"We were worried that she might give birth soon so she was taken to our special Hedgehog Maternity unit in Uckfield where she was kept in a quiet and calm environment until the evening where she was checked to see whether she had given birth.

"Luckily she had not so we took her back to Ringmer. There was no easy access to the neighbouring gardens off the footpath where she had been trapped, and we were concerned where she would go and whether she would know the location very well. The fence was new and may have been blocking the normal route she took."

Trevor’s partner Kathy placed her on the ground and stood back with Trevor to monitor her using a red light.

Kathy said: "It was not long before she was sniffing the air, and off she trotted along the pathway, stopping occasionally to check her surroundings.

"She clearly knew where she was and was soon off and back to the wild. We hope she has a nest prepared for her young and that her access to the garden hasn’t been blocked by the new fencing."

Fencing round gardens is known to have a big impact on hedgehog populations.

If hedgehogs can’t move around and their territories shrink they struggle to survive, hunt for food and find partners.

WRAS is urging people to ensure CD-size holes are left in fencing to allow them to move around and thrive in gardens.