School children are being asked to spend some of their summer holiday getting creative for a garden mammal.

The Hedgehog Street team, ran by wildlife charities the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), has urged people to help hedgehogs through building them a home.

Last year, Hedgehog Street launched the first ever hedgehog census, which looked at how, when and why hedgehogs use either homemade or artificial hedgehog houses in gardens across Britain.

The census was carried out between August and October 2017, and saw more than 5,000 people respond.

The results found that hedgehogs prefer homemade houses, they need time to get used to a new house, feeding hedgehogs increases the chances of a resident hedgehog moving in, they prefer houses in back gardens, and pets don't put hedgehogs off from moving in.

Emily Wilson, hedgehog officer for Hedgehog Street, said: "Until now we didn't know what type of hedgehog house was best for hedgehogs and if they were even really used at all, as this area of hedgehog ecology simply hadn't been studied.

"These results tell us that hedgehog houses are helping 'hogs find a place to rest, hibernate and even breed.

"If hedgehogs are provided with food and water in the garden (especially during this unusually hot weather), and the correct bedding in the house, this really encourages hedgehogs into your area, and they could become regular night-time visitors."

To find out how to build your own home, you can visit hedgehogstreet.org/housingcensus