A couple who found a newborn baby boy abandoned on their doorstep in a quiet suburb have described their shock at the discovery.

The boy, who weighs just 5lbs 8oz, was found wrapped in a thin blanket and placed in a canvas shopping bag at the door of a home in a quiet suburban neighbourhood of Worcester at around 4.15am yesterday.

Health officials and the police are now making strident efforts to trace the youngster’s mother over fears for her well-being, and have appealed directly for her to come forward.

The youngster, who is in good health, is now in the care of the children’s department at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital where nurses have named him Joseph.

Patti Paine, head of midwifery at the hospital, said the baby was “a lovely little boy” and was “doing very well”. She said NHS records had not revealed any expectant mothers who were “missing” from their lists, adding she could not rule out the chances the mother may have concealed the pregnancy.

Meanwhile, Jon Hunt, of Lower Wick, Worcester, has been talking of the moment he and his wife Adrienne discovered there was a baby lying in a Woolworth’s shopping bag on their doorstep.

He believes whoever left the child there had “picked out” the address because Mrs Hunt is a registered child minder, and looks after a number of children at the house.

“It was about 4.15 this morning and our doorbell rang for a sustained time, and obviously woke us,” he said.

“My wife went to the front door, and upon opening the front door there was no-one there but there was a carrier bag, the type of bag you re-use, a bright-coloured canvas bag on the doorstep. It was half closed but we very quickly established there was a young baby in the bag.” (AP)