A TRAPPED hedgehog prompted a builder to take swift action to deal with a hazard for wildlife at Prince Charles's eco-friendly Poundbury.

A resident spotted the animal floundering in a mud-filled hole and managed to rescue it and take it to Dorchester hedgehog expert Gillian Greening.

She said the animal would have died if left much longer. And she warned that the holes - dug for the bases of fencing posts - posed a risk to wildlife and children in the area.

Mrs Greening added: "This hedgehog was exhausted and totally caked in mud.

"His front claws were worn away by his desperate struggle to get out.

"Fortunately he was a large strong male and he survived.

"But other animals could die in there and a child could so easily fall in and be hurt."

Poundbury resident Glenys Jones, who found the hedgehog on land being developed by Morrish Builders, said: "I was out for a walk and happened to see it in all the mud and water.

"It was nearly suffocating in the mud and so exhausted it could not even curl up."

She managed to get the hedgehog out of the hole, which measured about 18 inches deep and about one foot square, and into a box.

She traced hedgehog carer Mrs Greening through the British Hedgehog Preservation Society website.

She added: "There were at least two holes like that and I noticed the next day that they were full of water. If they were not going to be used for fencing straight away they should have had earth thrown back in or been covered."

David Tharby, sales manager, for Morrish Builders, said: "If there is a hazard there for animals or people on our site we will deal with it straight away.

"We are extremely attentive to wildlife and the ecology - the company has got more than 250 acres that we manage for wildlife.

"I know that we have been doing fencing there and the work had slipped because of the bad weather. But I will ensure that the holes are filled or lidded over."

Mrs Greening said the hedgehog had to be washed three times to remove the caked mud. He was released after being checked over.