Police have appealed for help in finding the mother of a new-born baby boy found abandoned on New Year's Eve in east London.

Doctor Iain Macintosh says the child has been well looked after (Dur: 0-18")

The two-day-old child has been given the name Robert Alan, after the ambulancemen who picked him up.

He was discovered lying on the pavement behind garages in Essex Road, Leyton, early in the evening.

The boy, dressed in a light green sleepsuit and wrapped in a white shawl, was found crying by a man on his way to buy a lottery ticket.

Scotland Yard issued an urgent appeal for the mother to come forward or for anyone who knew her to contact police.

Detective Inspector Phil Jones (Dur: 0-15")

Detective Inspector Phil Jones of Leyton CID said: "We are anxious to talk to the baby's mother as she may be in urgent need of medical attention.

"Our main concern is for her welfare and I appeal to her to get in touch," he said.

The baby, said to be of mixed race, is being cared for at Whipps Cross Hospital in east London. He weighs 7lb 11oz, and is described as "healthy".

The baby was wearing this sleep suit

Police believe the child was born in hospital, or at home with a midwife assisting, as he still had a plastic umbilical clip attached. The clip is only available to medical staff.

DI Jones said: "This is a beautiful baby boy who needs his mum. Let us make this a happy New Year for both mother and child by reuniting them."

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman appealed for witnesses to come forward.

She said: "We would like to hear from anyone who was in Essex Road yesterday evening between 6pm and 7.08pm who saw someone carrying a baby or a bundle of clothes."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Leyton police on 0181 556 8855.

It is the second time a baby has been abandoned in the UK over the holiday period. Two days before Christmas a mother left her baby in Plymouth civic centre. She has since been traced.
 

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