A baby girl has been found abandoned at a house in The Hague, police said on Tuesday.

A couple living in the Larenstraat went to check after someone knocked on their door after midnight. They found the baby dressed in clothes and a white robe in their front garden.

The baby has been taken to the Juliana children’s hospital in The Hague to be given medical checks. According to the Telegraaf, the baby is a newborn and police have launched an investigation to try to find the mother.

‘When a baby is abandoned like this, there is always a long story to uncover,’ a police spokesman said.

The man who found the baby told the Telegraaf that he had no idea why his house had been picked. ‘We do a lot of voluntary work,’ he said.

It emerged later that a note had been found with the baby, but police have refused to give any further information. One neighbour told broadcaster Omroep West that the letter stated the mother already had two children and could not cope with any more.

One or two babies are abandoned by their mothers in the Netherlands every year.