EPPING FOREST: Hedgehogs left with horrific injuries from rubber bands

Derek Knight, 54, who runs the Epping Forest Hedgehog Rescue centre from his home in Chequers Road, Loughton, has rescued animals caught up in the many rubber bands left on the ground after the Christmas rush.

He said hedgehogs like the one pictured were getting tangled up with the bands, which were becoming embedded inside them.

“We know there are lots that aren't ever found, that are just strangled by the bands and die in agony,” he added.

He said the hedgehog pictured, which he picked up from Barking, was one of the worst cases he had seen, but the elastic bands were causing problems across Epping Forest as well.

“We see the bands all over the road everywhere,” he said. “It's not just hedgehogs that are affected by it, it's other wildlife and birds.

“This hedgehog has healed up quite nicely and had a lucky escape. This was horrible-looking, but it's mainly tissue, rather than major organs.

“With other ones we've had, they've dug into the ribs and the lungs.”

He called for Royal Mail to tell postmen and women not to drop elastic bands in the street or find a wildlife-friendly way to keep bundles of letters together.

He added that the problem could not have come at a worse time for hedgehogs, as their numbers have dwindled in recent years and this has not been helped by this year's long, harsh winter.

"They've curled up in balls at the side of the road and been frozen when they've come into us," he added. "We've thawed them out and some have survived and some haven't.

"With hedgehogs being so few, we need every one. In six to seven years, they could be gone if we don't do something now."

He urged people to take any injured hedgehogs to the nearest vet for free treatment or call him on 0208 508 4056.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "Royal Mail regularly stresses to its postmen and women the importance of avoiding litter and the vast majority of our rubber bands are recycled, with millions being re-used every week."