A hedgehog had a lucky escape after falling down a 12ft hole on a building site.

The prickly animal got stuck down the deep man-made cavity in Roman Road, Faversham.

It had tried to escape by digging a bigger hole, but had no way out without help.

"He was miraculously unhurt by the fall, but just would not have been able to get out on his own – the hole was so deep..." - Brian Milligan, RSPCA

The RSPCA rescued the spiky creature by manoeuvering long poles and using a net to coax it out to safety as the hole was too narrow to use a ladder.

Animal collection officer Brian Milligan said: "There's no way this poor hog would have survived without some help.

"He was miraculously unhurt by the fall, but just would not have been able to get out on his own – the hole was so deep. It may have taken some time but he would have eventually starved to death."

The uninjured hedgehog was immediately released to a safe spot nearby.

Mr Milligan added: "In this case it was particularly difficult to get at because as well as being so deep the hole was also incredibly narrow.

"We could not use a ladder to climb down as we normally do. It took a good 20 minutes or so using poles and a net to gradually persuade the hedgehog to be successfully rescued."

The RSPCA has warned construction sites and man-made holes are often hazards for wildlife.

"If they become trapped like this they can suffer greatly and if not found then can suffer a slow and painful death through starvation or injury," Mr Milligan added.