Baby's body found in Kirkham by dog walker

The body of a baby thought to be about two months old has been found in Lancashire.

Police said a dog walker found the child's body in a culvert off Carr Lane, Kirkham, at about 14:00 BST on Saturday.

Officers said they were treating the death as "unexplained" but Det Supt Neil Esseen said it was possible a mother had abandoned her baby.

Post-mortem tests are expected to be carried out later.

'Vulnerable young mother'

Mr Esseen said there was no evidence that the baby had lived locally.

He said: "What is not clear at this stage is whether there is perhaps a vulnerable young mother out there who may have left her baby or whether this is something more sinister.

"If there is someone out there who has abandoned a young child in this area then I would appeal to them directly to get in touch with the police.

"I would also ask any concerned family members or health professionals to call us - we need to find out who this child is.

"I would also stress that although the child was found in Kirkham, we have no evidence at this time that the child is from the local area, and would therefore ask people from all over the country to come forward if they have concerns."

He urged anyone with information to contact police.