They say curiousity killed the cat, but this hedgehog had a lucky escape whan he got his head stuck in a tin of carrots.

He was found lying by the roadside in King's Lynn by a couple 10 days ago, with his head wedged in a can.

At first, they thought he was dead. But when he moved and showed signs of life, they cut off the bottom end of the tin to help him breathe and rushed him to the RSPCA wildlife hospital at East Winch.

Staff managed to cut the creature free from the tin. he escaped from his ordeal with a grazed foot from scratching at the tin and a slight swelling under his chin.

Centre manager Alison Charles said: 'The hedgehog is doing very well despite his ordeal and is eating and drinking well and resting up in his box.

'This again highlights the dangers that litter can pose to wildlife, and incidents like this can easily be prevented if people just picked up their rubbish rather than throwing it away and remember to squeeze cans together before throwing them away.

'Had this hedgehog not been found he would have died a slow and painful death.

'But thankfully this has a happy ending. I am not sure why he chose a can of carrots to investigate, it is not the normal thing you would find on a hedgehog's choice of lunch menu. Perhaps he wanted to see better in the dark!'

He has been given antibiotics and wormer and is being monitored by vets at the hospital.