YOUR Worcester News can reveal the body of a newborn baby from Worcester came from one of four waste trucks operating in the city.
As the search continues for the mother of the newborn, the city council said green waste collected around the city on Tuesday had been narrowed down to one of the four waste trucks operating that day which took waste to a sorting depot in Bromsgrove before being sent to Peterborough more than 100 miles away.
Mike Harrison, head of cleaner and greener at the city council, said the waste would have come from one of 7,000 homes in the city.
He was shocked at the tragic discovery inside the recycling plant in Cambridgeshire which so easily could have been seen by one of the council's bin men.
Mr Harrison confirmed one of the areas the waste came from was St Peter’s. The bins could have also come from communal areas.
He said: “We have narrowed it down to around 6,000 or 7,000 homes that the lorries collected from that day. What worries me is that it has come from a green bin.
“The chances of it being found by the bin men is much greater from these bins as they quickly go through the waste first, so there is more opportunity of finding something that’s not meant to be there ” he added.
However he said although contents are checked to ensure there are no items in the bins that cannot be recycled, the body may have been well-hidden and workers perhaps would not have noticed a weight-difference in the bag.
“It’s a bit worrying,” he added.
In Worcester, the council collects from around 80,000 bins, half of which contain green waste, Meanwhile, the concern for the baby's mother is growing rapidly, with south Worcestershire police renewing their appeal for her to come forward.
Elaine Newell, Head of Midwifery for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust, which runs the county's main hospitals, said it could offer the mother physical and emotional support.
She said: “I would like to appeal directly to the mother of this baby - or to anyone who may know the identity or whereabouts of this mother.
“I remain very concerned about your well-being and my immediate priority is to ensure that you receive any necessary midwifery and medical care. I appreciate that you must be feeling very confused, upset and afraid. Please be assured that I want to make sure you are safe and well.
“If you would like to speak to me directly you can contact me personally on 07775 800300 and I will talk to you and arrange for you to receive any necessary care.”
A post-mortem examination did not establish the cause of death and tests are continuing.
Anyone with information is asked to immediately call South Worcestershire Police on 08457 444 888, quoting 289S/280808. Information can also be given - anonymously and free-of-charge - to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
where they were discovered by a worker on Wednesday.
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