A BABY'S early arrival on a roadside near Worcester sparked a police alert.

Imogen Scargill was born beside the A4103 near the Rushwick roundabout at about 5pm last Thursday.

Mum Ellen had gone into labour at the family's Cradley home a few hours before and husband Kevin had rushed home to take her to hospital.

She said: "We had just got past Bransford when I told Kevin I needed to get there quickly .

"He stopped and called 999 and I decided to get out because they say you should keep moving around. I just stood up beside the car and her head popped out, just like that."

Within three minutes, the ambulance had arrived and taken the family to hospital.

Later in the evening, police officers saw the Scargills' car by the roadside, spotted blood beside the road and began to investigate.

At about 11pm, they called at the family home, where Ellen's sister Elizabeth was babysitting three-year-old William, the couple's other son.

Accident

Kevin, a communications engineer, said: "When she saw two policemen at the door, she was afraid I'd had an accident on the way back from hospital."

But Elizabeth managed to explain the situation.

Now mum and baby are home and doing fine, and William is enchanted with his new sister .

"We just want to say thank-you to every one who helped, especially the ambulance crew."

"It's an amazing story," said Kevin.

"I've got to register the birth and where it says 'place', I 'll put the junction of the A4103 and A44."