Every year hundreds of hedgehogs suffer horrific injuries from strimmers. These wounds are so severe that they often prove fatal and nothing can be done to help save them. Hundreds of hoglets (young hedgehogs) are also orphaned by gardening activities where the hog is killed, injured or disturbed so much that she abandons her nest.

The solution to these unnecessary injuries is to simply check areas of long grass and shrubs beforehand!

We are therefore calling on Kent County Council to start checking before they cut back soft landscape areas. We are also asking KCC to join other local authorities across the country and put " check before you strim" stickers on their equipment as a visible reminder to carry out these checks.

Written by Green Party Cllr Laura Edie

On behalf of Dartford Hedgehog Project