NOVEMBER fifth is on the way and all over Worcestershire bonfires will be lit, there will be fun and laughter and fireworks and everyone will have a great time.

Unless, of course, you happen to be a hedgehog which has made its winter home at the bottom of the bonfire, curled up and gone to sleep.

Every year an unknown number of hedgehogs die or suffer horrific injuries because bonfire piles are not checked before being lit.

To save hedgehogs and other wildlife from appalling suffering the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) is urging that bonfires should not be built until the day they are to be lit. This will not only save wildlife from burning to death but will also stop the bonfire from getting soaked should it rain the night before.

Fay Vass, chief executive of BHPS, said: “Piles of bonfire material look like five-star hotels to a hedgehog in search of a hibernation site. It is crucial to dismantle and move bonfire material that has been stored in advance on open ground. Move it to another spot just before lighting.

Ensure it’s moved to clear ground, never on top of a pile of leaves as there could be a hedgehog underneath, and not too close to pampas grass which can ignite very easily and is another favourite spot for hedgehogs to hide under.”

If a large bonfire has to be built in advance, protect it while building by putting some chicken wire one metre high all the way around the bottom of it. This should be held in place with stakes and the wire should slope outwards at an angle to make it difficult to climb, because hedgehogs are good climbers.

If, while building – a bonfire is left unattended, for however short a time – it’s imperative to check for hedgehogs and other animals, including family pets and even young children, before lighting.

As hedgehogs will tend to hide in the centre and bottom two feet of a bonfire, you should check by gently lifting it section by section with a pole or broom.

Never use a spade or fork because these can harm or kill them. Using a torch will help and listen for a hissing sound – this is the noise a hedgehog makes when disturbed.

Fay added: “If hedgehogs are found, take as much of the nest as you can and place them in a high-sided cardboard box with plenty of newspapers or old towelling. Ensure there are air holes in the lid and that the lid is secured firmly to the box because hedgehogs are great climbers.

“Ideally, wear garden gloves so as not to get human smells on them and to minimise stress caused to the hedgehog. Also, they protect hands from their spikes. Put the box in a safe place such as a shed or garage, well away from the November Fifth festivities, as fireworks can terrify them.

“Once the bonfire is totally dampened down, release the hedgehog under a hedge, bush or behind a stack of logs.”

Better still, going to an official organised fireworks display is a far safer option for both humans and animals and hedgehogs in particular.

● For free advice and to obtain the names of hedgehog carers in Worcestershire and Herefordshire in advance of Bonfire Night, contact the BHPS on 01584 890801 or go to the website britishhedgehogs.org.uk.