Arrests after hedgehog painted in Leeds Utd colours

Four people have been arrested after a hedgehog was painted in Leeds United colours.

The stricken creature, which appeared to have been daubed with yellow and blue paint, was discovered in a garden in Yeadon earlier this month.

The fumes from the paint meant the hedgehog could not breathe properly or curl up into a ball, and rescuers had to scrape the oil-based paint from each spine and administer pain relief.

The males, aged 44, 21, 17 and 15, were detained on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, West Yorkshire Police said. They have since been bailed while inquiries continue

Speaking after rescuing the creature, Diane Cook, from Prickly Pigs Hedgehog Rescue in Otley, said: "It might seem funny painting a hedgehog blue like Sonic, but it's an unbelievably stupid thing to do."

She added: "It was clear that it wasn't done accidentally because she didn't have any paint on her tummy or legs or her feet, so it wasn't as though she'd fallen into some kind of wet paint.

"Quite literally, all of her spines on the top of her head were just absolutely covered."

As the hedgehog had no way of defending itself from predators, it could easily have been killed.

The paint also restricted the mammal's movement, so it could have eventually succumbed to starvation or malnutrition.

Cook also said the paint was similar to emulsion used for decorating or even one used for road markings, and the fumes had given the hedgehog "really bad breathing problems".

The creature could also be poisoned from toxins after trying to lick it off, she added.

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