THE quick thinking of an eagle-eyed schoolgirl helped save the life of a prickly little critter.

Year 5 Lucia Flexen was at Watermoor C of E School playground in Cirencester when her eyes were drawn to a hedgehog staggering along and looking worse for wear.

The pupil-come-vet alerted a teacher and together they contacted Cirencester Police inspector Karen Ellis, who moonlights as a volunteer at the Help a Hedgehog Hospital in Stroud.

The caring copper came to the hedgehog’s aid and took it the sanctuary, where is was treated for a severe case of lung worm.

Despite being on the brink of death, Karen and the team nursed the hedgehog back to health and it was this week released back into the wild by Karen and Watermoor School business manager Jackie Brown.

Hedgehog numbers have been declining for several years as fenced off gardens cut off their habitats and they are killed by garden machinery such as strimmers.

“The hedgehog population is on the decline and it needs all the help we can give them - if anyone sees a hedgehog out in the day time please rescue it, they are nocturnal creatures and this is a strong indicator something is seriously wrong,” Karen Ellis said.

“Place it in a box and cover it with something like shredded paper and seek advice as soon as possible. There are a number of local rescue centres available and Help a Hedgehog Hospital has someone available to give advice 24/7 and there’s lots of useful information on their website.

To find out how you can help make your area a hedgehog haven, go to helpahedgehog.org.