Courtney Joy Trueman, who was only three months old, was found at her home in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, on Saturday afternoon suffering from breathing difficulties.

The BBC's Sheila Moss: "The vehicle would have become stifling in the heat"

An ambulance crew answering an emergency call to the house found Courtney in a "collapsed state". They rushed her to Tameside Hospital, where she later died.

A post-mortem was carried out but the results have not been released.

Car taken away

It is believed Courtney was in the Austin Metro car, which had been parked in the shade, for about two hours during early afternoon, in temperatures of up to 23°C (75°F).

A spokesman for Greater Manchester police said: "We cannot confirm the baby was in the car, but a car has been taken away that belongs to the family.

"Inquiries are continuing into the circumstances of her death."

Police have interviewed Courtney's parents, Andrew and Maria, who have two other daughters and a son.

Neighbours of the couple said they were shocked. One woman, who did not want to be named, said they seemed a happy family.

She said they had only lived there for a year and kept themselves to themselves but she often saw the children playing in the street with their father.

Cars 'like glasshouses'

Motoring organisations and charities have warned that in-car temperatures can rise to "terrifying levels" in hot weather.

The Automobile Association is currently carrying out tests on heat inside cars at different times of the day.

A spokesman said one result from earlier this month was that on a day when the outside temperature was 31°C (88°F), it soared to 56°C (133°F) inside the car.

And even when the temperature outside dropped to 27°C (81°F), the heat inside the car continued rising, to 58°C (136°F).

"The car acts like a radiator, continuing to heat up, and we do see some incredible temperatures inside cars. For a child or pet inside, it would be like sitting in a glasshouse," the spokesman said.