Baby in recycling 'from Midlands'

The body was found by a worker at the waste centre in Fourth Drove

Police have established the body of a newborn girl found at a waste recycling plant in Cambridgeshire is most likely to have come from Worcestershire.

A worker made the find at the city council-owned site in Fengate, Peterborough, on Wednesday morning.

The depot collects waste for recycling from East Anglia and the Midlands.

Officers said the baby's body reached the Peterborough site via a sorting plant in Bromsgrove, having been collected from waste bins in Worcester.

A post-mortem examination into the baby's death proved inconclusive.

Further tests will be carried out to try to determine the age, ethnicity and preliminary cause of death.

Police have also expressed concern for the health of the baby's mother, and have appealed for her to come forward.

Elaine Newell, Head of Midwifery for the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said the mother was likely to be feeling "very confused, upset and afraid".

'Very concerned'

She appealed to the mother directly to come forward, saying she was "very concerned" about the woman's welfare.

Ms Newell said: "Please be assured that I want to make sure you are safe and well."

Det Insp Adrian Todd, of West Mercia Police, said the mother could have given birth without anyone knowing or realising that she was pregnant.

He said he believed the community could play a "key role" in tracing the woman, and urged anyone with even the smallest piece of information to contact officers.

Det Insp Todd said: "We believe that one of more members of the community may be able to come forward with information helpful to the enquiry.

"They may recall noticing a female behaving strangely in the neighbourhood, or at work, or being absent for a time.

"We appeal to anyone who believes they are in possession of information not to assume that someone else come forward. We would rather receive something twice than not at all."

Ms Newell urged the mother to contact her directly on 07775 800300.