Baize

Throw the book at the scumbags 😡! Four people have been arrested after a hedgehog was painted in Leeds United colours. The stricken creature, which had 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. The Hedgehog is recovering ❤️‍🩹.