Baby left in fast-food restaurant

Gardai were last night seeking the mother of a baby boy who was found abandoned in a fast-food restaurant in Dublin city centre.

A security guard at the restaurant said the mother was "a nice-looking girl" of 17 to 18 years of age with long blond hair. He said she was well dressed but looked very distressed and agitated.

The child, whom gardai estimate is five to six months old, was found by a customer at Burger King in O'Connell Street shortly after 11.30 p.m. He was later brought to Temple Street Hospital where he was said to be in good health.

A security guard at the store, Mr Kevin Fagan, said the child was "a well looked-after baby".

"He was very well dressed and was asleep in an expensive buggy. He was wearing a tracksuit and a pair of Nike runners. There was a change of clothing and feeding equipment in a bag in the buggy. "I saw the mother leaving the shop before I realised what had happened. She came in by the side door and left the child in the aisle, we found out later. I opened the main door for her as she left.

"I remembered her because she looked very distressed and under pressure. She couldn't get out of the shop quickly enough. She was a nice-looking girl but she really wasn't with it at all.

"We searched the restaurant for the mother, but when one of the customers described her I realised it was the [blond] girl," he said.