British hedgehogs are disappearing — fast and in large numbers. In the 1950s, there were thought to be about 30 million of them trundling around the back gardens, hedgerows and fields of Britain.

But less than 50 years later, the population had collapsed to an estimated figure of just 1.5 million.

It is thought that numbers of this once ubiquitous mammal have now fallen to a fraction of even that 1990s figure. Go on, think about it, when was the last time you saw a hedgehog?

Matters have become so drastic that hedgehog lovers across the UK have launched a series of surveys and initiatives to encourage the public to record sightings of the troubled animal.

The reason being: the more information collected about our hedgehogs, the greater the chance of discovering how we can help them and reverse the decline.

But, at the moment, the reason for the dramatic decline of Erinaceus europaeus is about as clear as mud.

Multiple theories abound from climate change to bullying badgers, but the experts are convinced that our impact on the environment is the real cause of the problem.

Marina Pacheco, chief executive of The Mammal Society, said: “I think people are generally concerned about hedgehogs because I get a lot of anecdotal evidence from people remarking that they haven’t seen many lately.

“We believe the main causes of the decline are habitat fragmentation, more roads etc, habitat degradation and agricultural intensification with the loss of hedgerows and beetle banks, and the tidying up and fencing off of gardens.”

So can being less ‘house proud’ help our hedgehogs? Well, yes.

An area of your garden left relatively unkempt will offer hedgehogs a shelter, a place to hibernate and, more importantly, a place to hide. Foxes and badgers in particular will readily prey on hedgehogs if they get half the chance.

“Badgers, who have enjoyed a recent population boom, are currently in the firing line for decimating our hedgehogs. But are badgers, generally more noted for having serious craving issues for slugs and worms, to blame for bingeing on hedgehogs, or is this theory just fanciful rubbish?

Pacheco says: “There is some evidence that where badger densities are high, hedgehog populations are low or absent.

“Badgers do eat hedgehogs, so there is probably a direct link, but habitat degradation also plays its part because where hedges are too thin, it doesn’t provide a refuge where hedgehogs can hide from badgers.

“What people can do for hedgehog conservation is the usual; keep a portion of their garden untidy, leave gaps in their fence so that hedgehogs can get from one garden to the next, and if they really want to get stuck in, get involved in their local planning system and work towards a planning system that is truly sustainable.”

  • For more information, visit The Mammal Society at www.mammal.org.uk. Here you can get tips on how to build or buy footprint tunnels and record your hedgehog sightings.