Hedgehog fan hopes new signs could save lives

While this young hedgehog was rescued, many others are not as lucky

A wildlife lover is working to get signs put up in his village to stop motorists running over hedgehogs.

Marcus Walton, from Fleckney in Leicestershire, is fundraising for signs to remind drivers that hedgehogs have favoured crossing places after seeing several creatures lose their lives.

"I've seen tens, if not hundreds, of hedgehogs painfully killed," he said. "Roads are probably the biggest threat to them."

He says both the parish council and National Highways have given him permission to put up the signs.

Marcus Walton wants to keep the prickly creatures safe from vehicles

Mr Walton became interested in hedgehogs when he started working on his garden and began adding wildlife spaces to it.

"People don't realise how easy it is to help hedgehogs," he said. "We should give back."

He says between 180,000 and 330,000 of the prickly creatures are killed on roads in Britain each year.

To help, he has joined various hedgehog groups on Facebook that share knowledge on how to give them more protection.

As a result, he is now raising money to pay for three signs costing £50 each, with any extra money raised being donated to Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital.

Mr Walton said he wanted to thank everyone in the village who had already donated.