Overweight hedgehog 'Mr Piggywinkle' put on strict diet

An overweight hedgehog - nicknamed Mr Piggywinkle - has been put on a "strict diet" at an animal rescue centre in Wiltshire.

The 1.8kg (4lb) "Hogzilla" piled on the pounds after being hand-reared on a diet of dog food and mealworms by a well-meaning owner.

Now three times the size of a regular hedgehog and too fat to roll up into a ball - the roly-poly hog has also been put on an exercise regime at Oak and Furrows Wildlife Centre in Cricklade.

"We were quite shocked when he came into us last Monday because we've never seen one that size," said animal carer Emily Hickey.

"The biggest one we've had in was 1.1kg and that was a pregnant female but he's lost nearly 40g since he's been here."

The centre is hoping to get the hog's weight down by a kilo in the next few months, before releasing it back into the wild.