Hedgehogs halt 99-home scheme

Prickly problem forces poperty developer to stop work at construction site to evacuate wild animals

A PROPERTY development in Val-de-Marne has ground to a halt - due to hedgehogs.

Construction company Lamant-Coutant was forced to stop work on the 99-home scheme in Ivry-sur-Seine for a month to allow the evacuation of animals, so that they can be rehomed at a nearby hedgehog sanctuary.

Residents living near the construction site alerted authorities to the presence of the protected species in the area shortly before work was due to begin - and the developer was reminded that "the law prohibits the deliberate disturbance of hedgehogs in the wild".

Work will not start until the estimated 12 animals living in the area have been found and evacuated.

Photo: Dominic Alves