Police have identified five teenagers involved in an incident where a hedgehog was killed after being put in a bucket which was repeatedly kicked.

The incident happened in the Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds on Monday at around 5:40 in the afternoon.

Speaking on social media, a police spokesperson said “Five youths from a school in the town have been identified and will be assisting us with this investigation”. 

The hedgehog, a species officially classified as vulnerable to extinction, suffered severe injuries and is believed to have died.

Police are continuing to ask anyone who knows anything about the incident to contact them on their non-emergency number 101 or email ceoburystedmunds@suffolk.police.uk, quoting reference 37/56289/23.