An abandoned newborn boy was rescued from a rubbish bin in Thailand.

Passers-by heard the infant crying from inside a blue garbage-filled plastic barrel in Rayong province on March 29.

They sifted through the pile of stinky trash and uncovered the hapless child wrapped in a pink blanket.

Pluak Daeng Police Station officers arrived at the scene at around 10:30 am local time.

A station spokesman said: 'Police will check CCTV cameras in nearby areas, including hospitals in the area. We are trying to find the cruel mother so we can prosecute her.'

Local officials have taken the baby to the Pluak Daeng Hospital for examination.

Wanchai Tiyabut, 44, the resident who found the baby, said he was about to drive his family to the beach when he heard what sounded like cat's noises coming from the rubbish dump.

He said: 'I did not mind the noise at first because I thought it was just a kitten. However, it kept crying continuously. I became suspicious, so I walked over and looked into the bin. That was when I found the baby.'

Locals believe the boy's mum was a resident from a nearby village who had dumped her son in the rubbish bin in the morning.