THESE little animals are famously cute though I testify to the brutal treatment your hands get if you try to handle them.

They are protected from most predators and can crawl through just about any vegetation but face a huge problem when it comes to our garden fences.

If your garden is completely enclosed then hedgehogs will not be able to visit at all. A 13cm by 13cm hole will be enough for any hedgehog whilst limiting passage for most pets.

They eat slugs, leatherjackets, beetles, earwigs and millipedes, but are omnivorous so will try anything. Since some of their food are pests that destroy vegetables, the hedgehog is a gardener’s friend.

The other things you might consider having in your garden as well as a hedgehog only highway are ponds, compost heaps and log piles.

Heaps of dead wood are home to numerous kinds of beetle or other creepy-crawlies which are not only food for hedgehogs but many also many birds.

Don’t leave your firework night bonfire out too long as a hedgehog may mistake it for a log pile.

Hedgehogs are famous for having a proper hibernation cycle where they run on slow from November to March. Disturbances at this time can be life threatening as they will have to wake up, draining energy reserves. So now would be the last chance to leave out any extra food they might need before sleeping, but use this time to plan whether you might be able to leave a highway through to a neighbour.

Hedgehog numbers have dropped catastrophically, a drop down to a third of what they were in urban Britain in 2002. Losses are even worse in the countryside though urban losses have slowed more recently.