A CONCERNED resident raised the alarm after spotting a dead badger in someone's garden — but it turned out to be a cuddly toy.

A woman on a bus passing through Hooke Hill, Freshwater, phoned the Isle of Wight Badger Trust after she spotted the stuffed animal in the front garden of a property.

Graham Lee, a volunteer with the trust, lives locally and was sent to investigate.

He said he was relieved to see it was just a toy: "We get 250 roadkill a year, so it's quite nice to find out it's not another one. It was a relief.

"It is quite a large toy, so I can see how someone mistook it for a badger."

Graham said the toy — which he said looked like a dog toy — has been left in the garden for the owner to reclaim.