THEY'RE cute, prickly and rapidly disappearing from our towns and countryside.

Hedgehogs are dying at an alarming rate and are now recognised as a declining species, a new survey says.

The mammal, made popular by the books of Beatrix Potter, has halved in numbers in some areas in the past ten years.

In this region, the problem is said to be particularly bad in Yorkshire where the population has slumped by 40 per cent.

Experts claim the decline is as a result of intensified farming methods which has destroyed the hedgehog's natural habitat, such as bramble patches and hedges.

Increasing use of pesticides have also destroyed its food supply.

Pauline Hindmarch, who runs a hedgehog rescue hospital in Topcliffe, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, said she had seen a noticeable decline in baby hedgehogs being brought in by the public.

She said: "We've only seen about three this year, which is well down when they can have litters of up to eight at a time.

"People usually find them squeaking away without their mother and bring them in."

Mrs Hindmarch, who takes in about 50 hedgehogs a year, said the animal's natural characteristics meant it was still held in great affection by many.

She said: "They're very sweet. They've been around for a long time and have those big black beady eyes which people find appealing. But we use insecticides which kill off their food chain and run them over with cars, so their biggest problem is in fact humans."

The nationwide survey of hedgehogs was funded by Mammals Trust UK and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and was carried out last year by thousands of volunteers. They estimated numbers by "roadkills", where hedgehogs had been hit and killed by traffic.

Dr Paul Bright, of Royal Holloway College, University of London, said the survey should act as a wake-up call and called for more action to protect the hedgehog population.