Hogging the limelight

Two families of hedgehogs were rescued by a Bognor resident from the recycling centre in Arun's Shripney Road.

Workers at the site rescued them when they heard their plaintive squeaks and put them in two boxes.

On hand to whisk them off to a safe haven when they were found was Tony Smith from Shripney Road, who is a regular visitor to the recycling centre.

'I know the people there very well and offered to take them home,' he said.

Tony believes the two litters, one of four babies and another of five, may have been caught up with garden waste and dumped by accident.

'I rushed home and made some wooden hutches for them. At first they had no bristles, and their eyes were shut but they just grew each day.'

Tony took some advice from a hedgehog rescue centre and left goat milk out for them and kept handling down to a minimum. He was also advised to keep the side of the hutch open to allow them to leave when they were ready.

Tony, who is well known for his vintage and classic chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce cars, is hoping the hedgehogs will now take up residence in his large garden after they wandered off once the babies were weaned.

But everything has a downside and he may now be forced to buy goat milk for the family cat.

'The trouble is the cat has taken a liking to it and it's 1.40 pint,' he said.