The family of a baby born with a badly disfigured face was last night said to be "in limbo", awaiting news of emergency surgery expected to be carried out on the child.

Medical experts said 12-week-old Maria Aziz Al-Rafi needed an urgent tracheotomy to open her airways which were severely damaged by a rare disorder.

After a legal wrangle over Maria's treatment, her parents, Suzanne Taylor and Aziz Rafi, agreed in court on Wednesday that doctors at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary could carry out any immediate treatment to assist their baby's breathing.

But the child's grandfather, John Taylor, said yesterday that the hospital had yet to inform them which medical procedures they planned to perform.

He said: "They are keeping us in the dark regarding what they are going to do and when they are going to do it.

"We have been left in limbo at the moment and it is difficult to find out any information."

On the positive side, Mr Taylor said Maria was showing signs of improvement as she was breathing without the assistance of oxygen and had gained weight since an alteration in her diet.

Mr Taylor said his daughter would be looking for clarification from the hospital about the proposed course of action.

Maria, who has Goldenhar's Syndrome, was taken to the Newcastle hospital when she arrived from Saudi Arabia early last week.

A clash of opinions between parents and doctors spilled into the law courts when an emergency police protection order was granted on Saturday to stop the parents removing their child from the hospital.

The issue was resolved on Wednesday after seven hours of deliberation at the Family Division of the High Court sitting in Leeds.

Suzanne's sister, Sharyn Taylor, 27, from Gateshead, said her sister had only wanted the tracheotomy delayed because she feared Maria was not strong enough to survive a general anaesthetic.