POLICE have called off their search for a baby's body in the canal.

Police divers had been scouring a stretch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Lower Audley Street, Blackburn, since Monday night when two people said they had seen an Asian woman dressed in green throw a bundle, believed to be a baby, into the murky water.

The canal was sealed off immediately and police divers were called in to swim the canal in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday police started the long operation to drain the waterway to ensure there was nothing in the water.

The underwater search team did a fingertip search of the muddy canal bed but only pulled out dozens of traffic cones and road signs, as well as scaffolding poles, a push bike, wheelbarrow frame, tricycle and a frying pan.

Other witnesses came forward yesterday to say they had seen an Asian lady, matching the description of the one who sparked the alert, cradling rubbish before she threw it into the canal several times over the past few weeks. Police are appealing for this woman to come forward and stressed that she was not in any trouble for throwing litter into the water.

Insp Steve Haworth said: "We started refilling the canal late last night and it will take about 24 hours to complete.

"We are treating the incident as a good intention mis-information call at this time. There are still odd bits of information coming in but at this stage there is nothing to make us think anything untoward has gone on."