Hedgehog set alight in Nottinghamshire put down

The hedgehog was seen struggling in a garden before being taken to a vet (stock picture)

A hedgehog that was doused with petrol before being set on fire has been put down.

The RSPCA said a woman had found the animal in her garden in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire, on 23 September, and then taken it to a vet for treatment.

However, a spokesman for the charity said the animal had since been put down due to the severity of its injuries.

An investigation has now been launched into the "horrific and callous" attack.

RSPCA inspector Annette Della-Porta said she believed the hedgehog must have been targeted "close to where [he] was found as he would have struggled to walk far with those injuries".

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"The hedgehog was seen in the garden struggling, his back legs were twitching and some of the spines were missing on his back, but he was still breathing so this kind member of the public rushed him to the vets," she said.

"It seems the poor hedgehog had been deliberately doused in petrol and was then set on fire in what can only be described as a horrific and callous act."