Heartbreaking picture shows why you should only build a bonfire shortly before lighting it

Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, is one of those unmistakably British celebrations that’s pretty difficult to explain to anyone from another place.

We light sparklers, set off fireworks and, most of all, burn stuff in giant bonfires, all to celebrate a time Guy Fawkes unsuccessfully tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

But a new tweet has given us one important thing to remember, remember on the fifth of November: hedgehogs.

Hedgehogs can be extremely vulnerable to bonfires. Particularly if a bonfire is assembled days in advance, Hedgehogs may begin to next inside its warm structure.

This can result in heartbreaking injuries, such as those seen in a picture of a burnt hedgehog tweeted by Anthony Joynes, who works for the RSPCA.

He said:

Don’t build your Bon fire until shortly before you light it & when you do only light one corner first to give these guys a chance to get up & escape. Have a safe weekend all

To make matters worse, Anthony says this particular hedgehog didn’t make it.

If you're worried about the effects of fireworks on your pet, read RSPCA's guidelines on how to keep pets safe and happy during fireworks.