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A "dead dog" on a church roof turned out to be a soft toy.

A concerned passer-by spotted the limp object on top of the Elim Pentecostal Church in Port Talbot and called the RSPCA.

Inspector Nigel Duguid feared the worse when he arrived at the scene, but dread turned to relief when he realised it was actually a stuffed animal.

Mr Duguid, who has worked for the RSCPA for 37 years, said: "I must admit it was such a relief".

He said he was braced for a "an extremely distressing and difficult job" until he saw the lifelike plaything.

"From a distance it was difficult to see what was on the roof," he said.

"It is good to know that there are people out there who are looking out for animals, as our caller had no idea that it wasn't a real dog."