The body of a baby boy has been discovered in woods at a golf course, police said.

Merseyside Police said the body was found in a wooded area at Brackenwood golf course in Bebington, Wirral, on Friday.

An extensive search of the area was carried out by specialist officers and a post-mortem examination is due to take place on Monday.

A force spokesman said it was not yet clear when the baby died, how long the body had been there or the cause of death.

Detective Chief Superintendent Lee Turner said: "This is obviously a very distressing incident but I want the public to be reassured that we will do everything in our powers to investigate what has taken place.

"I would ask that people avoid speculating about what has happened until the full facts are known.

"At this stage, all we can say is that the body of what appears to be a full-term baby boy was discovered in a wooded area on the golf course yesterday and police were alerted.

"A post-mortem will take place on Monday to establish how and when he died and how long his body was there before being discovered.

"Extensive inquiries are currently being carried out to trace the mother of the baby to check her welfare and offer any support. I would ask anyone who has any information which could assist us with that to contact us as a matter of urgency."

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The headline of this article was updated on February 10, 2021. It originally referred to Liverpool instead of Wirral.