A GRANDMOTHER was forced to deliver her daughter's baby by the roadside after discovering Malton maternity unit was closed.

Carol Whitehouse came to the rescue after a call from her daughter, Gemma, who went into labour last Sunday morning.

Realising Malton maternity unit was shut they set off in the car from her home in Greenlands Road, Pickering, to Scarborough.

But as the contractions intensified they pulled over into a layby on the A170 near West Ayton and in less than half an hour after setting off, little Lauren was born in the backseat of the car.

Gemma, who works with her mum in the Pickering United Co-op, in Hungate, said she was shocked that the labour had been so quick.

The 24-year-old said: "I woke up with really strong contractions and we did not know whether to get an ambulance or not. I called my mum and she had her car so we decided to go in the car to hospital. When we left the contractions were about every five to 10 minutes but by the time we got to Ayton they were every minute. Then we called the ambulance. They said it would be about 15 minutes so we stopped in a layby to wait for it, but obviously the baby couldn't wait."

Gemma then wrapped blankets around the baby, who weighed 7lb 10oz, and waited for the ambulance before being checked over in hospital for six hours.

And despite the dramatic delivery both mother and baby have recovered from their ordeal.

Grandmother Carol said they had thought about driving to Malton maternity unit but they knew the unit was closed at the weekends.

The 54-year-old said: "We called 999 and we were told that there wasn't an ambulance in the area and we would have to wait. Unfortunately the baby wasn't in the mood for hanging around. We got into the back seat and she came out like a shot. Gemma had planned to have her in Scarborough but obviously it would have been better if we could have gone to Malton maternity unit. With it only being eight miles away we probably would have made it in time. Thankfully they are both OK and my first time as midwife was easy."

Gemma said she thought the birth, which was two weeks early, would be fast because her other children Keeley, three, and Taylor, who is two in May, were also born quickly.

She said: "I got into the back seat and it took about five minutes for her to be born. It was too quick to be painful. Before we knew it she was born. I was a bit shocked. I was a bit shaky because of the adrenalin and the baby was a bit shocked. Mum was just as shocked but she is really proud."

Carol added: "I think it was me that was a little bit more nervous than Gemma really. If needs be you have to do it, and then think about it afterwards. It was quite a while before the ambulance came so we just wrapped the baby up in a blanket and waited."