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RSPCA urges football clubs to put away nets to stop animals getting stuck
The RSPCA has called on football clubs and the public to help save animals by putting away nets following the end of the season.
The charity said it received 1,355 reports in 2024 of animals getting entangled in netting, with almost half of them in the peak months of May, June and July.
The charity's scientific officer said unattended football and other netting can trap, injure and kill wildlife and pets.
Rebecca Machin said: “It’s really important to put nets safely away when they’re not being used after the game is done.
“The problem is so serious that during last year’s peak months, we dealt with 100 incidents of netting-entangled foxes - mostly cubs.
“But it’s not just foxes that are affected; other wild mammals like hedgehogs and deer, and even domestic pet mammals - including cats, can become potentially fatally entangled.
"But amid a difficult period for many animals, when netting reports typically spike, people have the power to make a real difference.”
A deer gets caught in football netting. Credit: RSPCACredit: RSPCA
The charity was also called out more than 1,500 times to birds getting trapped.
Of the 263 wild animals that got caught in nets, foxes (172) were the most common, followed by deer (43) and hedgehogs.
In 2024 there were ten incidents of entangled animals in Northamptonshire, 13 in Bedfordshire, and 21 in Hertfordshire.
The numbers were even greater in Norfolk and Suffolk, where there were 49 incidents, while there were seven incidents in Cambridgeshire and 41 cases in Essex.
The charity’s advice to the public is that if a small animal is found caught up in netting but is uninjured, the fastest way to help it is to gently and carefully disentangle the animal.
Animals who have been entangled will need checking over by a vet, as they may have hidden injuries.