FOR some time, I've been critical of the growing obsession with turning our back gardens into rooms' using decking and paving, with just a few small shrubs by way of token living things.

Well, now it's official - this sterilising procedure, combined with the addiction to tidiness, is now not only seriously reducing bird numbers but also badly affecting the humble hedgehog.

Do we really want to banish everything in the name of neatness and order?