A woman has been arrested on suspicion of concealing a birth after police were told a newborn baby had been abandoned on a secluded roadside in Lancashire.
The alarm was raised on Tuesday night when police were informed in a phone call that a woman had left the child in a bag by the side of the road on the outskirts of Edenfield.
Officers found the bag containing a blood-stained blanket at the reported scene in Rochdale Road but no trace of a baby or its mother.
A woman was arrested over the incident on Wednesday night but it remains unclear whether a baby was dumped.
A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "A 28-year-old woman from Whitefield, Greater Manchester, has been arrested on suspicion of concealment of birth and will be questioned by officers throughout the day. She was arrested last night.
"At this stage officers have not recovered a baby or foetus.
"The investigation continues."
It is understood that detectives are still waiting for the suspect to be medically examined to determine if she has given birth.
On Wednesday, police carried out extensive searches of the rural area and made a public appeal for the woman involved to come forward as they feared for her safety.
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