Thousands of hedgehogs on death row in the Outer Hebrides could be deported to Sussex - where gardeners need them to feast on slugs and snails.

While 5,000 of the creatures face the threat of a mass cull in the Scottish islands following an explosion in their population, there is a shortage here.

They are in such demand wildlife sanctuaries have a growing waiting list of people offering their gardens as a home to a hedgehog - a true friend to the gardener for its appetite for flower-munching molluscs.

There have been calls to cull the burgeoning numbers in the islands of North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist, where they have been blamed for eating rare birds' eggs.

Trevor Weeks, of East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service, said: "We have not got enough hedgehogs to go round to people who want them.

"We have got about 40 or 50 people on our waiting list."

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) had been considering culling the animals, which are posing a threat to important native wild birds.

The hedgehogs won a stay of execution after authorities said they would look at alternative ways of controlling the population explosion.

Hedgehog-lover Rita Buddell, of Old Lane, Crowborough, said: "I think it's awful they're going to kill all those hedgehogs.

"They should bring them down to Sussex. There are loads of large gardens around the county.

"I have two living under my summerhouse at the moment. They're a natural pest control.

"It seems stupid when there is a shortage here to cull them in Scotland."

Annette Risley, who founded the Folly Wildlife Rescue Centre in Crowborough with her husband Dave, said: "I have a list of people who want hedgehogs. Lots of people want them in their gardens because they eat insects.

"The conditions have to be right. There has to be a reasonable amount of hedgehogs in the area, the garden can't be on a main road, they can't use slug pellets and it mustn't be an area where there are any badgers because they eat hedgehogs.

"If they started shipping them here, I could do with some more. I could relocate a few of them. They're my passion."

It could be two years before a decision is made about the sturdy egg-eaters.

John Markland, chairman of SNH, said: "This will take 18 to 24 months because we need to have a legislative change and a funding package.

"Let us in the interim see if we can find a more effective and happy resolution to this.

"We are very clear about one thing and that is we have got to stop the predation of wild birds by the hedgehog population."

The option of moving the hedgehogs would be timely for Sussex.

We reported in May how gardeners were under siege from a population explosion of slugs and snails, spurred on by favourable weather.