Mother's petrol station special delivery

A MOTHER has thanked passers-by who came to her aid after she gave birth in a car on a petrol station forecourt.

Brianne Hannaford, 23, was on her way to the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital's maternity unit when everything came to a head in a traffic jam in Fore Street, Exeter.

Her husband Ahmed, 28, tried to pull over and call an ambulance but dropped his mobile phone and could not find it.

He then drove across the road into the Esso petrol station forecourt.

Brianne, from Northlew, near Okehampton, Devon, said: "It all happened so quickly. The baby was due two days earlier and, because of difficulties with the birth of my previous child, the hospital had told me to come in as soon as I went into labour.

"We had a terrible storm two days before and all the phones were out. So we set off from home as soon as I started labour. We were going very well — until we hit the traffic jams on Fore Street. It was about 10.20am on Tuesday and it was very busy. Things suddenly started to get very intense and I told Ahmed this was it.

"A driver gave me a blanket and staff came out to help and do what they could. In fact, there was quite a little crowd.

"Ahmed was on the phone to the ambulance people and they were asking if the baby's head was visible.

"He said no, but I said he was coming. Ahmed then shouted that he could see the head and with two pushes, the baby was out."

The baby, which weighed in at a healthy 6lb 6oz, has been named Yusuf.

He has a brother, Yaqob, 21 months, and a sister, three-year-old Malika.

Brianne converted to the Muslim faith at Exeter's York Road mosque when she was 19.

She said: "Ahmed's parents and family live in Morocco and we have been in touch to let them know the good news.

"I hoping they will be able to come over. It should be a wonderful Christmas."