Police have sent out thousands of letters in a new appeal to track down the mother of dead baby boy found at a Shipley waste site after narrowing down the areas of Bradford where she could have given birth.

Born naturally, the naked infant was found by workers sorting rubbish at Associated Waste Management in Valley Road on September 18 last year.

Since then officers have studied the routes and pick-up points of domestic refuse wagons and now believe the baby’s body was put in rubbish collected in an area spanning areas across north Bradford and north west Leeds. Now 36,000 letters have been sent to homes in Shipley, Baildon, Keighley, Girlington, Thornton, Great Horton, West Bowling, Leeds Road, Eccleshill, Thackley, Otley, Pool, Stanningley and Pudsey in a new appeal for information.

The letter states: “We are very worried about the mother of the baby and how the baby died.

“We believe the baby may have been born in your area.

And it asks householders: l Do you know a girl or woman in your area who was pregnant and due to give birth around September 2013?

  • Have you seen her recently? Have you seen her baby? Do you have any concerns about this girl or woman?
  • Is it possible that the found baby boy could be her child?
  • Did you see anybody acting suspiciously who could have deposited the child’s body?

The letter goes on to say police know there are may genuine reasons why pregnancies can come to a sad end and that because of the sensitive nature of the case every effort will be made to cause any further upset.

Detective Superintendent Mark Ridley, who is leading the investigation, said: “We have identified that waste processed at the site on September 18 last year – the day the baby was found – was collected from areas of across north Bradford stretching over to north west Leeds.

“My overriding concern is still the long-term welfare of the baby’s mother. While the physical effects may have lessened, we are concerned about the long-term psychological needs of the mother after going through such a terribly traumatic experience.