Charity warns of the harm discarded pumpkins can cause to wildlife.

The Scottish SPCA is asking people not to dump their pumpkins in wooded areas after Halloween.

Although some people believe that they are providing food to help wildlife, the charity says that pumpkins can actually be harmful.

Chris Hogsden, manager at The National Wildlife Rescue Centre, said: “Pumpkins aren’t a natural food source for most of our native wildlife and, as with any food source that is not natural, it has the potential to makes animals such as hedgehogs, foxes and badgers unwell.

“More importantly, there may be a disease risk especially if they have been decorated with man-made substances or have contained candles and other items that may not have been removed from the pumpkin shell.”

Image (C) Shutterstock