Street artist ATM creates Ipswich hedgehog mural

The mural is part of Suffolk Wildlife Trust's campaign to make the town more hedgehog-friendly

A giant hedgehog mural has been created in a town that has been identified as a hotspot for the mammal.

Street artist ATM painted the artwork in the garden of a pub in Ipswich.

The mural is part of Suffolk Wildlife Trust's campaign to make the town more hedgehog-friendly.

The trust has already appointed a hedgehog officer for Ipswich and is overseeing the project with the artist, who is known for his wildlife murals.

ATM said he agreed to paint the mural of the mammal to "communicate how unique and beautiful these things are".

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Street artist ATM is known for his murals of wildlife

The mural was started on Tuesday

The London-based artist specialises in painting endangered species in urban environments

The acrylic artwork was started on the side of the Swan pub in King Street on Tuesday and was completed on Wednesday.

The painting is about 4m (13ft) in length

Almost 12,000 hedgehogs, dead and alive, have been recorded in Suffolk over the past two years, with about 2,500 of these around Ipswich.

The trust said there was a "rich natural network" for hedgehogs to move around the town.

Artist ATM said: "I just hope people think about hedgehogs and wildlife in general.

"For example, not use weedkillers on their plants, not use slug pellets... think about hedgehogs' needs."

The mural was created during Hedgehog Awareness Week, a national campaign run by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

ATM has previously painted a hedgehog mural in Somerset