A CAB driver has described the moment a woman he was taking to hospital gave birth in the back of his cab.

Abdul Qayyum, 40, was taking the woman and her husband to the maternity unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary on Friday morning when it became clear the woman was in the late stages of labour.

As he drove along Toller Lane the woman became increasingly distressed and soon after that Mr Qayyum heard the cries of a baby.

The driver, with Barkerend Taxis, said: "When I collected her I could see she was pregnant and I thought that she was in the final stages because of her pain.

"I drove slowly and avoided the speed humps. Her husband was sitting on the front seat while she laid down on the back seat. I gave her a bag in case she was sick and just kept driving.

"Then I heard the noise of a baby, it started crying. When I heard that I thought, 'it's over now' The nurses at the hospital told me I had done a brilliant job. A lot of nurses came and everybody was very happy."

Mr Qayyum, who has a son, 13, said he was accustomed to taking pregnant women to the hospital but hadn’t witnessed a birth in his taxi until Friday morning.