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It can be potentially lethal to wild animals and birds.

Households around the UK have been urged by the RSPCA to reconsider placing garden netting over their plants, after a sharp rise in the number of animal entanglement deaths.

While the netting protects vegetable patches, ponds and fruit trees from hungry birds, butterflies, insects and cats, its harsh material poses a real hazard to wildlife, resulting in tragic tangles.

Recently, over in Devon, one woodpecker died after getting tangled up in the netting placed around a fruit tree, while in Somerset, a panicked deer also got stuck in a net outside and suffered severe injuries.

RSPCA Inspector and animal rescuer, Marije Zwager, told Devon Live: 'Netting like this is potentially lethal to wild animals and birds. They can end up with life-threatening injuries by getting their legs, wings or beaks tangled in the netting or, if not spotted by anyone who can help free them, they can eventually starve to death.

'Unfortunately, we get called to a lot of incidents where wildlife have got themselves caught in netting and as a result suffer fatal injuries from struggling to get themselves free like this poor woodpecker.'

There are many way to protect wildlife from getting caught in netting. Some of these include...

1. Ensure the netting is tight to the ground, so that smaller animals can't get underneath and caught inside.

2. If its fruit trees you want to protect, get your hands on individual fruit protection bags. These are soft fabric bags which you place around individual fruits to stop birds from eating them.

3. Opt for a densely woven net instead, as this won't harm wildlife.

4. Do the 'finger test' and choose netting that you cannot poke your finger through. Make sure the mesh is less than five millimetres.

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