A shoplifter has been caught trying to use a pram containing a fake baby to smuggle stolen items out of a shop.

Saffron Curtiss-McGinty, 18, used a cuddly toy dog dressed in a baby-grow and half a bra on which she had painted facial features as a substitute for a baby in the pram.

But staff at B&M Bargains in Solihull grew suspicious during the incident on 27 January.

They stopped her and found scented candles, sweets and an electric toothbrush hidden in the buggy.

Chief Inspector Jack Hadley said: "We have known thieves try to use a child's buggy before to conceal stolen items - it's a tactic police and retailers are well aware of - but I've never come across a case of anyone making their own child!

"Shoplifting is a serious matter, though, and recent figures show that West Midlands Police investigates some 16,000 shop thefts a year, costing the tax-payer more than £1 million."

Curtiss-McGinty was given a 12-month community order - including attendance on a rehabilitation course - and was ordered to pay compensation and court costs.