WORCESTER could have seen its first "water" baby of the floods - but for the quick thinking of a city police officer.

Dog handler PC Steve Dawe went to the rescue yesterday after spotting a worried father-to-be and his pregnant wife stuck in traffic at Powick.

The woman was in labour, so PC Dawe used his blues-and-twos to escort the couple to the city's Ronkswood Hospital - where the baby was born an hour-and-a-half later.

PC Dawe, a policeman for 20 years, had been in the jam for 10 minutes when a BMW pulled up alongside his police van at 10.30am.

"The driver wound down his window. He indicated to his wife next to him, who was in labour," said the 44-year-old father-of-two.

"She was in pain and I realised I had to get her to hospital. It looked pretty imminent. An ambulance would have taken too long to get through the traffic coming the other way."

PC Dawe delivered the woman into the "capable hands" of Ronkswood staff 10 minutes later, and then left.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, had her baby at around noon. Mother and baby are reportedly doing well.

Modest PC Dawe, who was awarded Dog Handler of the Year in last week's West Mercia awards, wished the couple "all the best" but insisted he did not do anything extraordinary.

"I did exactly the same as any other police officer or emergency services worker would have done," he added. "I was just in the right place at the right time."