It is not uncommon for statues and artworks to be displayed beside "do not touch" notices.

But an Israeli municipality near Tel Aviv has gone further after a statue in its park was claimed to possess magical powers which could help a woman to become pregnant.

The metal statue by the late artist, Menashe Kadishman, depicts an outline of a woman with a smiley face on her stomach. It was put on display earlier this year inside the art garden of Ramat Gan's National Park.

Soon afterwards, crowds of religious women were seen visiting the statue and reciting psalms. "They huddle around the statue and then lie on it one after another," a local resident reported.

The unusual interest forced the deputy mayor, Adva Pollak, to issue a statement informing the public "that this statue has no special powers and is merely one of many works of art on display. It would be wrong to attribute such powers to the statue. We welcome visitors who wish to enjoy the art but I call on them to refrain from lying on it."