Hope ‘rabbit hotels’ can help Britain’s decimated population bounce back

Brash piles provide safety from predators and place to breed for animal now hailed as ecosystem engineer'

Symbol of Easter and scourge of Mr McGregor, the rabbit may be the cute hero of children's books but its rapid reproduction has traditionally made it a pest for farmers and gardeners.

Now, however, with British rabbit populations are being decimated by disease, the humble bunny is being hailed as an ecosystem engineer" and landowners encouraged to create innovative rabbit hotels" to revive its numbers.