Mother gives birth in hospital car park because '24-hour' maternity unit was closed

Philip Allison and Vicky Kitching arrived at Hull's Women and Children's hospital at 10.30pm.

But the front desk, which is supposed to be open all the time, was unmanned and the doors were shut.

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Mr Allison, 34, said: "There was nobody there. Vicky said she could feel the head, so I knew we were running out of time."

They were driven to the hospital in a friend's Renault Laguna - and Mr Allison had to return to the car where he helped deliver his daughter.

He said: "The cord was wrapped round the baby's neck, so I unwrapped it. I'd seen my last one born and I saw them clear the airways, so I cleared the airways too.

"I just felt scared. Once I could hear her crying and I knew she was awake, it was different."

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Having helped to deliver 7lb 14oz Hannah Elise, Mr Allison passed her to Miss Kitching to hold to try to keep her warm.

Miss Kitching, 22, described the experience on November 16 as "awful", saying: "It was a case of, where do we go? The other place we would have gone was accident and emergency but we didn't have time.

"I don't even wish to think what could have happened."

Mr Allison, of Hull, said they did not have time to call ahead to the hospital as they rushed to contact family to look after their other two children, Leon, two, and Aimee, five.

The couple praised the care they received when they eventually got into the hospital but they were concerned at what happened.

Mr Allison said: "We're all at home happy now. But anything could have happened."

Pauline Lewin, director of facilities at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, apologised to the couple.

She said the reception at the hospital should be manned 24 hours a day.

"The contract with our security contractor states that a guard must be present on the main reception of the building at all times," she said.

"If he needs to leave his station for any reason, he must formally hand over to another security guard.

"We are concerned that, for a few minutes, it would appear the security guard was not at his desk."