I would like to make a plea to all of you who have football goals in your gardens.

The design of these nets did not take into account the danger they can be to our wildlife.

In the last two days Roger’s Wildlife Rescue have had a hedgehog and an eight-week-old fox cub trapped in one.

They easily become entangled in this netting.

Please don’t think this won’t happen in your garden.

With just a few adjustments these goals can be made safe for our wildlife.

One or two suggestions to avoid this problem are:

1) Cut the netting so that it does not hang loose to the ground

2) Make sure that the net at ground level is taught by pegging it to the ground or;

3) Attach the netting taught to a board around the base of the goal. These problems would not be encountered if the netting is made more taught.

Fortunately the hedgehog and the fox cub were uninjured this time and, after we cut the netting off, they are making good progress.

This is not always the case.

So a little time spared tidying up these nets will ensure our wild animals a safer garden to roam around.

After all, now Brighton and Hove Albion are in the Premiership, we don’t want to score any own goals against the wildlife who share our garden.

Roger Musselle runs Roger’s Wildlife Rescue in Downs Valley Road, Woodingdean