A NEWBORN baby girl who was found in a carrier bag died in hospital despite desperate attempts to revive her.

Police are investigating after officers found the child in the back garden of a house in the Brookhouse area of Blackburn at about 11am yesterday.

Detectives are waiting to speak to the baby's 23-year-old mother, who is receiving treatment at Queen's Park Hospital.

Staff at the hospital alerted police after the mother went to the hospital seeking treatment.

Police said she had arrived at the hospital in the early hours, but it was at about 10.50am when she told staff that she had abandoned her new born baby. A team of officers went to her house and carried out a search. Within minutes the baby was found in a plastic Next carrier bag in a nearby garden.

The child was taken to hospital in a police car as she was cradled by a male officer.

Police said it was unclear whether she was alive at the time she was found.

An emergency medical "crash" team was waiting at Queen's Park Hospital for the baby to arrive. They tried in vain to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Detective Inspector Tony Harling, of Blackburn CID, said: "It is very early in our investigation and we need to speak to the baby's mother to establish what happened. She is receiving treatment in hospital and we will interview her when she is deemed fit by the hospital."

He said police were not looking for anybody else in connection with the incident.

He added that a number of police officers who took part in the search had been deeply affected by the incident.

Three officers, including two women, who took the baby to hospital were sent home for the day.

A brother of the baby's mother said: "My sister is in hospital and she is really stressed. The whole family is really stressed."

Home office pathologist Dr John Rutherford conducted a post mortem examination yesterday, but the cause of death has not yet been established.

Coroner Andre Rebello said he hoped to open an inquest into the death tomorrow.

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