As temperatures plummet, gardeners often overlook their outdoor spaces whilst focusing on staying warm indoors. While summer garden maintenance typically centres around tending to beloved plants and flowers, a clever winter hack involves using an unexpected piece of sports equipment to protect wildlife and prevent pond freezing.

It may seem peculiar, but the modest tennis ball can serve purposes far beyond sport or playing fetch with your canine companion. Indeed, it can become a vital aid for garden wildlife, acting as a navigational marker for birds, hedgehogs and other creatures venturing out in icy conditions, reports the Mirror. Nunnery Plumbing and Heating explained on their website: "The trick isn't to flood your garden with toys. It's about thoughtful placement.

"Start with five or six old tennis balls, or any similar dog-safe balls, and walk your garden like a hedgehog or a blackbird would. Slowly. Low to the ground. Watching the surfaces.

"Drop a ball close to bird feeders, where wings beat fast and landings are clumsy. Add one at the edge of any smooth patio or decking step, where ice likes to form and birds misjudge their landings.

"Place a couple near known hedgehog routes: along fences, by compost heaps, close to gaps under sheds.

"Those scattered balls quietly turn flat danger zones into a series of small, forgiving steps."

However, there's no need to splash out on a fresh pack of tennis balls, as the website explained: "Old balls are perfect. They're often softer and cheaper. Clean them if they're very dirty, and ensure they are not breaking down into crumbs that could be swallowed."

For those without tennis balls to hand, alternatives exist, with the website noting: "Old rubber playground balls, sections of hose over posts, floating logs or sealed bottles in ponds, and brightly colored fabric tied to nets can all help. Tennis balls are just convenient and effective for many small interventions."

Tennis balls prove particularly valuable for gardeners with ponds, bird baths or similar small water features, as placing one on the surface can stop it icing over.

The Lancashire Wildlife Trust advised: "To ensure your water sources doesn't freeze you could keep a tennis ball in them - the wind will move this around and prevent the water from completely freezing."

The organisation added: "Birds still need to bathe to keep their feathers in good condition and coated in natural oils, which helps keep them warm."