Baby’s body is found dumped in waste skip

POLICE were last night desperately searching for the mother of a newborn whose body was found at a waste recycling centre.

The baby, thought to been barely 48 hours old, is said to have been dumped in a skip that was taken to the facility by a bin lorry. Horrified staff made the discovery while they were sorting through recycling on Thursday afternoon.

Detectives are waiting for results of a post-mortem examination to show whether the infant was alive when she was dumped and to determine cause of death. They are urging the mother to come forward and seek medical attention.

They are also trying to establish which skip in Ipswich the girl had been dumped in and where it had been before it reached the Sackers waste centre nine miles away at Needham Market.

Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Bridger of Suffolk Police said: ‘The current thinking is that the baby was born within the last 48 hours and disposed of.

‘The vast majority of collections to arrive at the site were from Ipswich and the

‘A distressing experience’

immediate surrounding area. It’s a really busy plant and we are still working with them to try and understand the movement of waste.’

He said officers were keeping an open mind over the investigation, adding: ‘We understand this would have been a very distressing experience for the mother.

‘Our current priority is to ensure she receives the care and assistance she requires and we would urge that she contacts us so we can help. There is no doubt she may be frightened but it is very important that we reach her or we speak to someone who might know her.’

Helen Crapnell of Sackers said staff who found the baby were being supported by the firm. ‘Our recycling sorting facilities are so thorough that we believe the baby was found very quickly once she was at our Needham Market site,’ she added.

‘Our main priority now is to support our staff members who were involved in this incident and assist the police with their investigation. Therefore, the site will be closed until further notice.’

The facility deals with 300 to 500 tons of waste a week.