Police investigating a suspected abduction in Redditch have said a young boy was seen being grabbed and taped around the mouth before being bundled into the boot of a car.

The boy, who is thought to be aged about nine, was seen struggling as he was pushed into the boot of a red car, possibly a Vauxhall Astra, in Woodrow at 7.15pm on Wednesday night.

At a press conference, acting superintendent Kevin Purcell said officers were continuing to investigate the incident, even though there had still not been any reports of a missing boy.

He said: "It is paramount that we investigate this until we are sure we do not have a missing child.

"There are witnesses to a number of circumstances around the incident and we continue to treat it as an abduction."

West Mercia Police made an appeal through the newly-launched Child Rescue Alert System to alert the public.

The boy is described as white, 4ft tall with short brown hair. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and dark blue shiny tracksuit trousers.