Baby found dead in Suffolk recycling 'taken in bin lorry'

A baby girl, whose body was found in a household recycling centre, is thought to have been taken there in a bin lorry.

The newborn, thought to be less than 48 hours old, was found by staff at the Sackers facility in Needham Market, Suffolk, shortly after 15:00 BST on Thursday.

The death is being treated as unexplained.

Police want to speak to the mother as they are concerned for her welfare.

A Suffolk Police spokesman said they believed "the most likely scenario" was that the baby was taken to the recycling centre via refuse collection from Ipswich and the surrounding area.

However, he said a number of possibilities were still being explored.

It is thought the baby's body was taken to the recycling centre during a refuse collection

Det Ch Supt Eamonn Bridger said: "It's our current thinking it is likely the baby was born within the last 48 hours.

"We can only imagine the emotional distress and physical distress that lady's been through, and it's essential she gets the help of medical professionals that she needs.

"Obviously we keep a really open mind about the nature of the investigation but at this time the absolute priority is her wellbeing."

Det Ch Supt Bridger made a direct appeal to the mother, or anyone who knows who she might be, to come forward.

He said detectives had been at the recycling site since "staff made the shocking and tragic discovery", and a team had remained there overnight as investigations continued.

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A spokeswoman for Sackers said: "Our recycling sorting facilities are so thorough that we believe the baby was found very quickly once it was at our Needham Market site."

She said the company was supporting the staff who found the baby's body and assisting Suffolk Police with its investigations.