Heat lamps seized in raids will help keep hedgehogs happy (From Gazette)

Heat lamps seized in Colchester raids can keep hedgehogs happy

10:10am Thursday 5th March 2009 in News By Emily Parsons

Good home – Chief Inspector Alan Beckett hands over lights seized in a raid to Rosie Catford, right, and Maria Bolanos-Ramirez at Wildlives

EQUIPMENT seized during drugs raids in Colchester has been donated to a wildlife charity.

Special bulbs, lights and heat lamps had been confiscated by police officers after raids on a number of suspected cannabis factories across the district.

Last week, Chief Inspector Adrian Coombs appealed through the Gazette for any worthwhile charities or organisations to contact him if they believed they could make use of any of the equipment.

He had initially planned to donate it to Colchester Zoo, but the zoo is still using equipment donated by officers a number of years ago.

Chief Insp Coombs said: “Thank you to the Gazette for running the story.

“I have had a number of requests for the equipment, and have donated it to a centre in Thorrington. I now have a list of people that we will donate to in the future..”

After seeing the appeal in the paper, Chief Insp Coombs was contacted by Wildlives, an animal rescue and rehabilitation centre in Frating Road, Thorrington.

Rosie Catford, founder of Wildlives, said: “One of the volunteers spotted the piece in the Gazette, so we rang up and the inspector brought all these lamps to us.

“We are always using different lights and heat facilities and they tend to be very expensive.

“We are going to have to get an electrician to change the sockets, but then it’s going to be ideal to help all the animals, especially when we start getting the juveniles or the very sick animals.

“Everything helps, particularly in the present climate when people are finding it difficult to make ends meet and so small charities like us miss out.”