THE three workmen who rescued a stricken hedgehog from certain death in High Wycombe have been honoured by St Tiggywinkles Wildlife Trust.

The animal hospital, based in Haddenham, has invited Matt Tew, Dominique Bryant and Ian Watson to the visitor centre as special guests in praise of their life-saving exploits.

The plumbing specialists struggled for more than an hour-and-a-half on Wednesday, September 14, to save the prickly creature after it had fallen down a small hole in the pavement in Spearing Road.

After failing to retrieve it with rubber gloves and then a pair of goalkeeping mitts, the trio used a pair of pliers to pull the creature to safety.

Sue Stocker, founder of St Tiggywinkles, which specialises in caring for hedgehogs and other sick and injured animals, said: "What they did was exactly the right thing.

"We've found that a pair of pliers is the best way to get hedgehogs out. When they fall down a hole they expand and it's hard to get them so we use pliers to grasp hold of the spikes and ease them out."

And Mrs Stocker was full of praise for the three rescuers.

She added: "It's lovely to hear they saved the hedgehog from a slow and terrible death. And at this time of year it could have been a nursing mother with babies so it was brilliant they got it out.

"It's really important that these lovely little creatures are saved as they do so much good in the garden.

"We would be delighted to invite them the workmen here to have a look around the wildlife hospital as a way of saying thank you."

Mr Tew, 29, of Hilary Close, High Wycombe, said: "That's a really great offer. We didn't expect to get anything for doing what we did. We would love to go there."

"We weren't sure at the time if using the pliers was going to hurt it so it's good to hear we did the right thing."