Clearing your garden for winter? Be careful - harming this protected animal could land you with an unlimited fine

"(Image credit: Getty Images/DamianKuzdak) With winter around the corner, preparing your garden is probably high on your to-do list - but before you grab your rake and trimmer, it's important to be wary of hibernating hedgehogs who could be hiding outdoors. Hedgehogs start to hibernate in late October to mid-November and tend to nestle down in places such as leaf piles, compost heaps, and under dense bushes - common spots where we often cut back or remove before the colder months creep in."

"It might be tempting to blitz the garden, but Ciarán De Buitléar, founder of Gardeningwell, explains that a lot of wildlife - including hedgehogs - depend on untidiness to survive the winter. He says, " In my own garden and in the Wildlife Garden projects I run, I always keep a 'no-go corner' for winter - a place where leaves, logs, twigs, and long grass stay exactly as they are. Hedgehogs love these spots. If you clear everything, you clear them out too.""

Hedgehogs begin hibernation from late October to mid-November and commonly shelter in leaf piles, compost heaps, and under dense bushes. Killing or injuring a hedgehog is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and can carry an unlimited fine or up to six months' imprisonment. Garden clearance can accidentally disturb or harm hibernating hedgehogs. Recommended measures include keeping a no-go corner of leaves and logs, checking piles before moving them, lifting objects slowly with a garden fork to allow animals to move, and always checking before using strimmers or lawn trimmers.

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