Parents of a two-day-old baby snatched from a maternity ward were reunited with their daughter last night - after suffering what police called "every parent's nightmare".

The baby - one of identical twin girls - went missing from ward F4 at the Wordsley Hospital in Stourbridge, West Midlands, yesterday afternoon after two women were seen acting suspiciously in the area.

She was found safe and well more than six-and-a-half hours later at a house in the Dudley area after a tip-off from a member of the public.

Police arrested two women and a man in connection with the incident.

Superintendent Steve Rowell, of West Midlands Police, said he was delighted that the baby, who had been taken from a cot at the foot of her mother's bed, had been returned to her parents.

"It is every parent's nightmare - just as they were about to leave hospital," he said.

"I am glad we have been able to reunite them with their baby.

"On the ward, the staff are relieved for the parents and want to return to normal."

The alarm was raised after two women, who police said appeared to be acting together, went into the hospital.

Mr Rowell said: "Later, they were seen running out hurriedly and one of the women appeared to be concealing a baby under her coat.

"At this time the other woman was carrying a blue car seat.

"The maternity unit does have security locks on the doors but somehow they appear to have got into the unit, taken the baby from the cot and then left the hospital."

He said the baby, who had not yet been named by her parents, was taken while her mother, a 32-year-old married woman, was asleep.

The abduction was discovered when she was woken to look at the twins.

After being found, the baby appeared to be in good health, but received a check-up at a nearby hospital as a precaution.

Mr Rowell said: "I would like to thank members of the public and the media for their help and I am grateful for their assistance in this matter."

The hospital's head of midwifery Yvonne O'Connor said: "I am satisfied that we had an adequate security system in place. A review of the system will be a priority."

She said staffing levels were normal on the ward, but revealed that an electronic security tagging system for newborn babies was due to be installed within days.

But last night, North-East mother Dawn Griffiths, who was involved in a similar baby snatch nightmare 12 years ago, asked why more had not been done to improve security at hospitals. Her daughter, Alexandra, was only 36 hours old when she was taken from St Thomas's Hospital, London, in January 1990.

Dawn had to wait an agonising 17 days before Alexandra, now aged 12, was eventually found in a cottage in the Cotswolds.

Dawn, 32, of Middlesbrough, said: "I can't understand how this could have happened again.

"There should be security in hospitals but where is it when someone can just walk on to a ward and snatch a child? It seems the hospital authorities have learnt nothing from what happened with Alex and other babies in recent years.

"This brings back terrible memories for me. Every time something like this happens, it brings back all the horror I went through.