A NORTH-EAST toy shop has supplied dolls clothes that are the perfect fit for a tiny premature baby girl who lives more than 3,000 miles away.

Pauline Connelly sold the outfits at her shop in Barnard Castle, County Durham, to proud grandmother Patsy Prewitt, who sent them to Johannesburg, South Africa.

There, her daughter, Kerry Short, put them on her baby, Dee-Ann, who weighed only 1lb 8oz when she was born on November 9 and is now just short of 2lb.

Mrs Prewitt said: "Kerry could find nothing small enough to fit Dee-Ann, so she rang me. I tried several baby shops, even some which specialise in premature babies, but nobody had anything small enough.

"Then I tried the toy shop and was delighted to find a whole selection of pink outfits, which seemed really tiny.

"I posted them right away and was thrilled to hear they all fitted perfectly."

Mrs Prewitt received photographs at her home in The Oval, Stainton Grove, near Barnard Castle, showing Dee-Ann wearing a dress, pants, bonnet and boots all made for a doll.

She said, "The baby looks absolutely perfect in them. I am now gathering more dolls clothes to send, as it will be a long time before normal baby clothes fit her."

Miss Connelly said yesterday: "I have supplied some dolls clothes for premature babies before, but this is the first time they have gone so far. I am delighted they fit so well."

Mrs Short, 34, who has one other child, three-year-old Damon, said: "I tried to buy dolls clothes here, but could find none small enough. I was thrilled with those sent by mum."

Dee-Ann was more than seven weeks premature, but has already been allowed home. A normal baby bath is far too big for her, so she is washed in a two-litre ice cream tub.

Mrs Short lived in Barnard Castle before she emigrated to South Africa where she met her husband, Toby, who works in a coalmine.