A mum delivered her baby on the tarmac of a car park as she attempted to be admitted to a hospital for the third time.
Rabia Rizwan had been turned away from Royal Oldham Hospital twice previously, and on the third time of trying, collapsed in agony in the car park and delivered her baby.
The 29-year-old mum-of-two told midwives she was sure she was about to give birth to her third baby, but each time was allegedly sent away and told to have a bath and a painkiller.
"The midwives told me, even though I was in so much pain and knew I was giving birth, that I should go home, relax in the bath and take a paracetamol," the mum told her the Daily Record, explaining that she had pleaded with staff to be admitted, but was told there were no beds.
Just hours after the last rebuff, at 4.50am on Thursday, May 2, Rabia's waters broke as she made her third trip to the hospital.
Her husband Muhammed, 32, ran into the hopsital's A&E department begging for assistance. By the time nurses got to Rabia, she was on the ground and gave birth without a midwife.
"If I hadn't been on the floor when he was born my baby could have fallen on to the tarmac and could have suffered serious injuries," she said.
Her little boy weighed in 6lb 13oz, and both he and Rabia were kept in hospital for five days after picking up infections.
"I'm just really angry about the conditions my son was born in," Rabia said.
Her husband added: "They said my wife wasn't in labour but she knew. She's had two daughters."
The family's MP Simon Danczuk told the paper that situations like this should not be happening in 21st century Britain.
"It's unbelievable this family were repeatedly sent home and told to come back because there were no beds," he said. "The NHS is going backwards under the Tories and I'm concerned appalling cases like this could happen again."
Cathy Trinick, head of midwifery at the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said her staff had followed correct procedures, but Rabia had 'unfortunately' laboured quickly.
How extraordinary! Surely a mother of two children already knows when she is in labour and is not a silly hysteric?