George the hedgehog is slowly winning the battle of the bulge after being placed on a strict diet.

The huge hedgehog was taken to Wildlife Aid in Leatherhead in November weighing five times the weight of an ordinary hedgehog.

His rotund figure attracted national attention from TV and newspapers and George was invited to the Boat Show in Southampton where a new boat called The Hedgehog was introduced.

But his weight was threatening his life and he needed expert care from the animal charity to save him.

Over the last 10 weeks he has been on a restricted diet, including cat food, and at a weigh-in on Friday his carers celebrated a weight loss from 2.2kg down to 1.8kg.

George is still a long way from his ideal weight but with a steady 40grams a week coming off he has lost one fifth of his body weight.

When he first arrived at the animal hospital it was thought he was suffering from a condition called ballooning where air gets trapped under the skin and causes the animal to inflate.

But on closer inspection George, as he was named having come in with another hog called Mildred, was found to be overweight.

Now George has mastered the art of eating less, he is about to be introduced to a little exercise.

Along with his companion Mildred, he will now be given a large enclosure in which to roam during the day, which should help to speed up his dieting efforts.

Sara Cowen, head veterinary nurse at Wildlife Aid, said: "We are very pleased with George's progress. A steady loss is exactly what we had hoped for, and with the introduction of some exercise we are confident that he will continue to lose weight over the coming months."