It’s a classic case of misjudged distances – a child trying to fit between fence railings and getting their head stuck.
But it was not trapped youngster who needed the fire brigade’s help to free themselves in Newmarket, but a slightly porky hedgehog.
The prickly critter was trying to squeeze through a gap in a gate at the entrance to a housing complex on Old Station Road on June 14.
A passer-by spotted the unfortunate hog who had probably been trapped overnight and was unable to get out without assistance.
The RSPCA was informed and a team of firefighters called to the rescue.
They managed to use their specialist equipment to widen the bars so he could be lifted out to safety.
After an overnight stay at an RSPCA care centre to recover the hedgehog was returned to the wild.
RSPCA inspector Richard Lythgoe said: “It is hard to imagine how this little thing got himself into such a tight squeeze.
“I can only imagine he misjudged the width of the bars – or perhaps did not see them clearly as hedgehogs are short-sighted.
“He was so firmly wedged in between the bars of this gate that the fire crews had to completely stretch them to get him out – and even then all his little spines were squashed down.
“They did a brilliant job and there’s no way I could have got him out without them. He most definitely wouldn’t have been unable to escape without help.
“I gave him some food and drink and kept an eye on him for 36 hours.
“He seemed to recover completely from his ordeal so he was released back to the wild – hopefully a little wiser.”
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