A West Yorkshire homebuilder has shared its "top tips" to keep hedgehogs safe during Bonfire Night (Tuesday, November 5).

Barratt and David Wilson Homes said it wants to encourage residents to safeguard their "prickly nocturnal neighbours."

The homebuilder is collaborating with nationwide campaign, Hedgehog Street, which campaigns for households to keep an eye out for hedgehogs, and other small animals, that may be liable to take refuge in unlit bonfires.

According to the State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2022 report published by BHPS & PTES and available to read at https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/state-of-britains-hedgehogs-2022/, rural hedgehog populations have dropped by up to 75 per cent in some parts of the country since 2000.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes says it is creating wildlife-friendly gardens at its developments, to include such amenities as hedgehog homes and so-called hedgehog highways (13cm square gaps in or under garden fences or walls).

The homebuilder has shared five tips for hedgehog and small animal safeguarding, taking its cue from Hedgehog Street experts.

The advice includes building bonfires at the last minute, to reduce the chance of hedgehogs moving in.

Secondly, bonfires should be moved to clear ground just before lighting, to give hedgehogs the opportunity to escape.

Third on the homebuilder's list is to make a barrier around bonfires after they are built, using old tyres or other objects, to prevent hedgehogs from entering.

Fourthly, bonfire-makers are advised to check their construction thoroughly before lighting.

Finally, bonfires should be lit from one side, to give wildlife that might still be inside the opportunity to escape from the other side(s).

Gavin Birch, managing director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes, said: “It’s extremely important to us when building new communities that we’re also creating a space for wildlife to thrive.

“We would like to thank Hedgehog Street for sharing these tips, and we hope they can help to keep local hedgehog populations stable.”

Hedgehog Street is also encouraging people to log hedgehog sightings on its interactive BIG Hedgehog Map (https://bighedgehogmap.org/), which helps researchers and conservationists to understand where hedgehogs have been spotted across the country, and how many Hedgehog Highways have been created.