Armed police drive pregnant woman to hospital after she went into labour while stuck in traffic in Essex

A pregnant woman in labour was driven to hospital by armed police after she became stuck in traffic.

Metha Ramanan almost gave birth in the car next to her husband after getting stuck in a queue on the A13 in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex.

However, armed officers who were in the vicinity came to the rescue. They drove the mother-to-be to Basildon Hospital in an armoured response vehicle.

The officers also guided her husband, Nava, to the maternity unit in his own car, in time to welcome their son Abiman who was born weighing 7.2 lbs.

The couple visited police headquarters three days later to thank officers for their help.

They were greeted by Ch Insp Matt Cornish and Deputy Ch Cons Pippa Mills, who presented the newborn with a cuddly toy of police dog Baloo: a retired canine who sadly lost one of her legs during an emergency.

Father-of-two Mr Ramanan said: “My family and I can't thank the firearms unit enough for their help at the weekend.

“Our sweet baby boy Abiman was delivered within a couple of hours of the lift they kindly provided.

“The officers were shining examples, keep up the good work in making Essex safe."

Read more

SOS message in dirt leads police to find woman missing for three days