Police have appealed for help to find the mother of a newborn girl who was abandoned on a doorstep of a doctor's home on a remote Scottish island.

The infant, who has been named Holly, is thought to be about to five days old and is now in hospital after being left inside a sports bag outside the home of a GP in Tarbert on the island of Harris, in the Western Isles.

She was discovered in the black canvas bag at 8.15am on Thursday by doctor's wife Sandra Finlayson.

Officers from the Northern Constabulary want anyone with information to come forward in the hope that the mother and baby will be reunited before Christmas.

A spokesman said: "The mother has not yet come forward and we want anyone who was on the A859, which runs between Tarbert and Stornoway, or in the Tarbert area between 4am and 8am on Thursday and who saw anything, to come forward.

"The baby is in hospital but she is fine and it would be nice if we could find her mother before Christmas."

Holly was wrapped in a green sports top and white T-shirt, and socks, and might have been on the doorstep for a few hours before she was found.

She is now in Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway.

Mrs Finlayson, 45, a trained midwife, said she was amazed to find the baby on her doorstep inside the family's porch.

"I thought it was one of the kids' pets in a bag but when I saw it move I got a bit of a shock because I realised it was a baby in there," she said.

"I couldn't believe my eyes. Nothing like this has ever happened in the Western Isles before, as far as I'm aware.

"But the baby was in good condition and I took her inside to keep her warm and that caused a quite stir among my four children - I think they were as shocked as me.

"I called her Holly because there was a holly wreath hanging above the front door which my daughter had placed there the night before."

She added: "I'm just hoping the mother will come forward. I don't know where she came from but I think somebody knew to bring her here."