TINY Emma Rose Harrison made a splash when she was the first baby to be born in a new birthing pool at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Emma's mum Julie Harrison was the first expectant mum to use the state of the art birthing pool at the hospital's maternity unit.

The purpose-built £38,500 unit comes complete with tasteful decor, fibre optic lights inset into the ceiling and taped music to help mums-to-be relax.

Mother-of-three Julie of Hamilton Street, Atherton, said she had been keen to have her fourth child born in water after seeing birthing pools on television.

"It was fantastic and very relaxing to give birth under water and it really heped with the pain. I would definitely recommend using the pool to anyone having a baby."

The part-time school technical assistant went into labour in the early hours of last Wednesday giving birth to Emma Rose three hours later at 8.15am.

Julie and her husband Nick, a power tools company manager, later took the new arrival home to meet their children 11-year-old Samantha, Jack aged nine and three year-old Ellie.

The birthing pool is the result of the hospital's successful bid under the government's Modernisation Programme specifically aimed at bringing maternity units up to date. The bid was a successful and work started in November 2002.

Previously women wanting to use a birthing pool had to hire a portable pool at a cost of £65 but use of the new unit is free.