An abandoned baby was found inside a styrofoam box in the red-light district in Thailand.

The tot was seen by a motorcycle taxi rider who was travelling along the Sukhumvit Road area of the capital Bangkok on September 23.

He said the box – normally used for containing food in storage – looked out of his place at his usual working spot so he looked inside and found the baby boy inside, wrapped in a white cloth.

The shocked rider, wearing an orange vest, called for help before using the box lid to fan the infant who was sweltering in the 35C heat.

Locals contacted the emergency services before paramedics arrived and found that the infant looked weak so they gave him oxygen until his condition improved.

The baby appeared to be uninjured but was later rushed to a police hospital for a health check-up. He is believed to have been born within the last 24 hours before being dumped.

Authorities are now conducting an investigation to find the mother, who they believe to be the person who left the baby on Sukhumvit Soi 6 among the city’s notorious bars and strip clubs.

The motorcycle rider who found the baby, Top Chairat, said: ‘I don’t normally see a box where we all park motorcycles. I could not believe what I was looking at when I lifted the box open.

‘Whoever left the baby here is very cruel. The baby could have died. The lid was on the box when I found him so nobody else could see what was in there. He could have been put in a trash lorry or left in the night.’