DETECTIVES are “no nearer” to identifying newborn baby Alia, Bolton Coroner’s Court has been told.

Police still hope to solve the case 15 months after Alia was found by dog walkers in Ox Hey Lane, Lostock, on Thursday, March 14, last year.

Officers said they are still looking at the “familial aspect” of the case by trying to identify Alia’s family based on DNA records. Despite extensive appeals to trace the parents of the baby girl, who police named Alia, meaning beautiful, they have had no success so far.

The court heard that police expect to have completed the bulk of their inquiries within the next month.

Coroner Alan Walsh said he was “anxious” officers have as long as necessary to make inquiries if it means baby Alia could be identified.

He urged people to come forward with any information as there is still “concern” for the mother.

Mr Walsh said: “If baby Alia has not been identified when police inquiries are exhausted I will probably have to hear an inquest on the basis of the information that we have.

“I just hope that if anybody has information they will come forward and give that to the police.

“That does not mean anything suspicious in particular, but there is concern for the mother of baby Alia.

“The longer it goes, the more difficult and less likely it is that we will identify anybody.”

Baby Alia was found wrapped in a Flora & Fauna Tesco shirt, and police have spoken to people who bought such shirts from the area.

Police have also spoken to schoolgirls absent from lessons in Bolton with possible pregnancy around the time of the discovery.

Alia’s ethnicity and her cause of death have not been established.

A further pre-inquest review will be held on September 19 at 3pm.

Anyone with information about Alia’s parents can call police on 0161 8565448.