Officers called to 'abandoned dog' find toy reindeer

Police said it had several reports of an abandoned dog at the top of Slack Hill along Chesterfield Road - but found this toy reindeer instead

Several reports made to police of a "small, bully type dog" abandoned by a roadside in Derbyshire turned out to be a case of festive faux-paw.

Following calls directing Derbyshire Police to a dog tied up at the top of Slack Hill along Chesterfield Road, near Matlock, an officer was "surprised" to find it was instead a toy reindeer, the force said on Tuesday.

After discovering concerned drivers were barking up the wrong tree, police said Santa's helper was just "resting after a test flight over the [Derbyshire] Dales area".

Police joked they had given the reindeer some "stern words about being seen in the middle of November" and ended up leaving "the fella to his break".