The baby hedgehog – since dubbed Lucky – was accidentally bundled into a machine at a house in Bognor.

But the ten-week-old came out squeaky clean from its ordeal and is now resting at the Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital in Sidlesham.

Hospital manager Penny Cooper has been caring for the creature since it was brought in at the start of the month.

She said: “She is quite a little miracle. I’ve been working here 15 years and have never heard of anything like this happening before. I was amazed.”

The hedgehog crept in through the back door of the house, past a sleeping dog and curled up in a bundle of clothes next to the machine.

The clothes and the eight-ounce hedgehog were loaded into the machine and put on a 40-degree eco cycle. When she was discovered, Lucky was rushed to Brent Lodge.

Mrs Cooper added: “She came out very clean and fluffy. Usually when we get the hedgehogs in we have to take off all the fleas and parasites. But there were none on her.

“We have nicknamed her Lucky, the cleanest hedgehog in the south. It was very lucky it was a slow spin and only half full – that certainly saved her life.”