MU'O-BE Lisa Richardson was so determined not have have a third wasted journey to the maternity unit she ended up having her baby on the living room floor!

Little Kelsey Jodie arrived five days late, weighing a healthy 7Ibs 6ozs, after two false alarms.

Her panicking parents Lisa, 25, and Karl Dootson, 28, called for an ambulance just before 11am on Tuesday when they realised their second child was on the way.

When paramedic Jason Swift and ambulance technician Tony Aspin got to the family's home in Hamilton Street, Blackburn, five minutes later, Lisa had all but given birth.

She said: "We were really panicking and can't thank the ambulance crew enough for calming us down and helping to deliver Kelsey. We would also like to thank the midwife who came later.

"I was determined not to go to hospital again until I was sure she really was going to be born but it seems I ended up leaving it too late.

"I never expected to be having her on the carpet in my living room, that's for sure."

Darwen-based ambulance technician Tony Aspin added: "It all happened very quickly. Because of the previous false alarms Lisa had put the early contractions down to something she had eaten.

"Even the baby's grandmother wouldn't believe she had arrived in the living room and I had to go on the telephone to convince her."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.