A newly formed group called Friends of Kingsbridge Hedgehogs wants to highlight the concerning number of hedgehog road deaths accumulating on the town’s highways and byways.

In 2020, it was estimated as many as 335,000 hedgehogs perished on the UK’s roads, an alarming statistic when aligned with the shrinking numbers in England, Wales and Scotland a current population of around one million compared with an estimated 30 million in the 1950s.

According to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society the most recent analysis of the research done through the combined work of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species indicates that urban populations have fallen by up to 30 per cent and rural populations by at least 50 per cent since the turn of the century.

A Nottingham Trent University research team also backed these findings adding

That: “Hedgehogs are moving out of their rural homes and into built areas where they face a whole host of challenges, including road traffic, litter, poisoning and lack of access to food and water.

“As of 2020 there is an estimated number of just a million hedgehogs left, representing a 97 per cent fall from the 30 million who once roamed the UK in the 1950s.

As such it is clear they are in need of our help.

“If we don’t do something soon, this iconic mammal is likely to be a thing of the past in the UK.”

A spokesperson for the Friends of Kingsbridge Hedgehogs group said: “We hope the gravestones will raise awareness and remind drivers to slow down and be extra vigilant. Cookworthy Road seems to be a

particularly hazardous crossing for our hedgehogs and we wanted to highlight this to passing motorists.

“Kingsbridge appears to have a very active population and we need to encourage this and look after them as best we can.

“It’s really evident townsfolk have a big soft spot for these delightful creatures so maybe it’s time we had hedgehog and wildlife crossing signs in Kingsbridge to give them a helping hand.”

To help protect our local hedgehogs the Kingsbridge based group would like to see the governments new small mammals warning sign placed at strategic points to warn drivers to keep an eye out for crossing hedgehogs.

The sign serves to remind drivers of small mammals on roads, and protect dwindling populations of hedgehogs.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling

was calling on local authorities and animal welfare groups to identify accident and wildlife hot-spots where the sign should be located,

The new small mammal warning sign should help to reduce the number of people killed and injured, as well as helping our precious small wild mammal population to flourish.

A spokesperson for the Town Council said:”Devon County Council is not currently using this

new sign and has no plans to introduce it. It has taken onboard

Kingsbridge’s thoughts but at present it appears that there may not be very many other communities pan-Devon which have made similar requests.”