Hedgehogs are not normally seen during daylight hours

Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust, which has been involved in relocating hedgehogs from Uist, have taken in a number of dehydrated animals.

Andy Christie, of the Ayrshire-based trust, said the hot weather had led to a shortage of water available to the small mammals.

He said people could help by leaving a bowl of water in their garden.

Mr Christie said: "We are seeing some young ones and adults that have become dehydrated.

"Once they start becoming ill the hogs wander around in day-time and attract flies which lay eggs on them."

A saucer of water is no good because the hogs will tip them over Andy Christie

He added: "When a hedgehog is upset it curls into a ball and it is very difficult to then check underneath for maggots."

"The hogs are not finding much surface water, but people can help by putting out water at ground level in a rabbit or dog bowl.

"A saucer of water is no good because the hogs will tip them over."

So far the charity based in Beith has helped 2,200 hedgehogs.

The figure is lower than for this time in previous years, but Mr Christie said their season started later and the number of distressed animals may rise.

Casualties include hedgehogs that have become tangled in strawberry nets and children's football goals, grass strimming and falling into containers placed under cars' sumps to catch oil.

Bird eggs

Meanwhile, hedgehogs taken from Uist have been tagged with colour-coded plastic markers.

The relocation programme was launched after Scottish Natural Heritage said hedgehogs, a non-native species in Uist, would have to be culled because they were eating so many wild bird eggs.

Hessilhead is part of Uist Hedgehog Rescue, which also involves Advocates for Animals, International Animal Rescue and British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

The colours on the tags correspond to the area where the Uist hedgehogs were released.