A woman has been arrested after a newborn baby boy was found dead in a carrier bag outside a west London church.

The boy's body was discovered inside a Marks & Spencer bag outside All Saints’ Church, off Talbot Road, in Notting Hill last Tuesday.

The woman, believed to be the baby’s mother, was detained on Saturday on suspicion of concealing a birth, neglect and infanticide, the Metropolitan Police said.

Supt Owen Renowden said she had been taken to hospital to “receive the support she needs while officers continue their work to understand what took place”.

Over the last week, NHS and local council officials joined the police investigation into the boy’s death, which helped lead to the arrest.

The force said that arrests in these cases were necessary so that officers could investigate the circumstances surrounding the baby’s death.

A post-mortem examination is due to take place later this week, but officers remain open-minded about what happened, the Met said.

Supt Renowden, who leads policing for area, said: “This is an ongoing, fast-paced investigation, with officers working tirelessly to ascertain the circumstances of the baby boy’s death.

“I recognise that the news of this arrest may cause concern among our community, but when dealing with investigations of this nature our priority is to ensure the welfare of all involved and ensure that all lines of inquiry are fully explored.”

He added that the force was still appealing for anyone who has information about what happened to come forward. (BBC)