You may have seen the images on social media - or in the mainstream - and if you have, I am sure, like me, you will be shocked and horrified.

I was first alerted to the problem by a couple of remarkable girls - Kyra and Sophie. They run a hedgehog hospital and a campaign called 'Hedgehog Friendly Town' (which, obviously, they all should be!). The people (and hedgehogs) of Stratford-upon-Avon are lucky to have them!

Kyra had seen a long length of hedge covered in a fine mesh, pinned down to the ground, and was worried that hedgehogs hibernating within the hedge would become entangled as they tried to emerge.

The plan on the part of the developers is simple. If birds are nesting in hedges and trees then they cannot chop them down thanks to the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981). So how to stop these pesky birds from interfering with 'progress'? Put a net over the hedge or tree before the breeding season to stop any careless birds getting in the way.

This is not illegal. But it does rather show the true nature of those doing the work. 

A little bit about hedges - there is no confusion about the favourite habitat of our favourite creature - they quite simply 'hog the hedges'. Hedges are not only an amazing habitat in their own right - for so much wildlife ... there was a two year study done of a Devon hedge and 2070 different species of life were found to be using just an 85 metre long bit of hedge ... but they are also a vital corridor. 

We are down about 300,000km of hedge from when they were at their peak - and most of what remains is in poor condition. I have done quite a bit of work on this since becoming Minister for Hedgerows (thanks to Chris Packham)! Have a look in the People's Manifesto for Wildlife to learn more. And also they were a core part of my latest book, Linescapes.

We need hedges - and we need a presumption that they will be protected. In the case that Kyra and Sophie saw, Taylor Wimpey had covered the hedge on receipt of outline planning permission ... they were stopping birds breeding just in case they got full permission for the development ... in which case the hedge would be destroyed. 

Thanks to the intervention of the girls, Taylor Wimpey have now agreed to install tunnels to let small mammals escape. But already there is a worry about what will happen should permission be given - Kyra found another hedge completely destroyed for another development. There is more information on their FaceBook page.  But I have not found a way of just linking to the video ... so you will need to scroll down, sorry.

The point - we can argue that new developments should have inbuilt hedgehog holes ... and that is a good thing if we make this petition change the law. But if developers are going to swing into action and destroy everything before building their houses, we will have a 'net' loss ... We need more from developers than just the holes in the fences - we need them to treat nature with respect. That is the only way they will receive respect from us. So keep your eyes peeled - if you see nets covering trees and hedges, find out who is doing it - and ask that they make provision for wildlife - but do that politely and calmly (at least to start with) ... that is how Sophie and Kyra approached the developers, and the result was action being taken. 

(photo copyright Hedgehog Friendly Town)