A two-week-old baby girl was found inside a skip by a man who was collecting old bottles for recycling.

The infant was wrapped in a white towel and sitting on top of the pile of rubbish in Patong, southern Thailand, when the man peered inside, reports The Mirror.

One of the rescuer workers told the local media: “The baby was discovered by a man collecting empty bottles from bins near Patong Municipality.”

He added: “When he went to check one of the bins he saw a smiling baby inside.”

Police believe that although the baby was healthy she was abandoned because her mother could not afford to raise her.

Medics at Patong Hospital say the baby weighed three kilos and had no noticeable health concerns.

The rescue official explained: “We think that the mum must have given birth in one of the island’s hospitals.

“She may have decided to abandon the child because she had no income to support a baby.

“Police are looking for the parents so they can be brought in for questioning.”

So far reports indicate that the baby’s parent have not been found.

We need more safe havens

Earlier in the eyar we shared the story of the baby born in the bathroom of a Subway toilet and abandoned by his homeless mother.

7 News reported Newborn babies have been left outside Australian hospitals, churches, ambulance stations and in other public places.

* May 13, 2007 – Newborn “Catherine” found wrapped in towels in a cardboard box outside a Melbourne hospital on Mother’s Day. She survived despite suffering hypothermia.

* June 10, 2007 – Newborn “Joan” found in a box outside Sydney’s Haberfield Baptist Church. She was placed under state care.

* October 17, 2011 – Body of “Willow” found by council workers in a park near Hobart. The umbilical cord and placenta were inside two plastic shopping bags. Her mother was never found.

* July 27, 2013 – A southeast Queensland family discovers newborn girl “Moses” wrapped in blankets in a basket in front of their home. The mother was found but not charged.

* August 1, 2013 – Newborn boy left at an ambulance station in Rockhampton, Queensland. His 21-year-old mother was later found. No charges were laid.

* November 23, 2014 – A week-old boy was found alive by cyclists in a western Sydney drain at Quakers Hill. His 30-year-old mother was charged with attempted murder after allegedly abandoning him five days earlier.

* November 30, 2014 – The remains of the infant girl dubbed “Lily Grace” found at Sydney’s South Maroubra Beach.

*February 20, 2016 – A two-day-old baby boy left on the doorstep of a house in Griffith, NSW. The healthy baby was placed in the care of Family and Community Services.

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• Baby abandoned in subway toilet
• How this newborn baby was dumped is horrifying
• Mother in questioning after abandoning baby
• Newborn baby found in trash compactor

Image via The Mirror