The bodies of eight babies have been found wrapped in blankets and placed inside plastic bags in a flat in southern Germany.

Police are trying to find a 45-year-old woman, believed to be the infants’ mother, following the discovery.

The woman, who is thought to be the tenant, has been described by a neighbour as a “kind person”.

The body of one child was discovered by another woman on Thursday afternoon at the property in the Bavarian town of Wallenfels.

She called police and officers found six more bodies in a room in the flat, and later a seventh.

The bodies are being examined by forensic experts but this “will take some time in view of their poor condition, in some cases”, police said.

The results of the tests are not expected until the beginning of next week.

It is not clear how long the babies had been dead or how long they were in the apartment.

According to reports, the flat had been occupied by a couple with several children who recently separated.

Police spokeswoman Anne Hofer said: “The babies have been found within the apartment. They had been covered in blankets and were packed in plastic bags.

“That’s how the dead bodies have been found one after another.”

Local mayor Jens Korn said: “Wallenfels is a small community where the people know each other and help each other.

“Of course many people ask themselves now: Could this have been prevented? Could we have helped?”

Wallenfels lies around 80 miles (130km) north of Nuremberg and 110 miles (175km) south of Leipzig.

It is in the eastern part of Bavaria, which borders the Czech Republic and Austria.