North Yorkshire Police
North Yorkshire Police has launched an appeal after a dead baby was found in a wheelie bin Flickr

North Yorkshire Police have issued an urgent appeal to locate the mother of a newborn baby girl who was found dead in Richmond.

Officers were called at around 2.40pm on Monday, 1 December, after a member of the public discovered the baby's body in a wheelie bin in a communal waste area on Whitcliffe Grange.

Paramedics attended the scene but the baby girl could not be revived and was pronounced dead.

Whitcliffe Grange, North Yorkshire
A newborn baby girl was found dead in a wheelie bin in Whitcliffe Grange, North Yorkshire Google Maps

Inspector Mark Gee, of Richmond Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: "Enquiries are at a very early stage and our primary concern is to locate the mother of the new born baby girl to ensure that she receives urgent medical care.

"It is highly likely that the mother is in a very distressed state and needs professional support.

"We urge her to contact the police or medical staff as a matter of urgency as her health and wellbeing is the priority."

Anyone who has any information that could help to identify the mother or has any other information that could assist the enquiry, please contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and pass the information to the Force Control Room. Please quote incident number NYP-01122014-0234.