EDDIE HARDING could be the luckiest baby in the region - he was born at seven minutes to seven, on July 7, 2007 - or 7/7/7.

And if that wasn't enough, Eddie's great-grandfather was born on July 14, 1921, or 7/14/21.

When Eddie was delivered, at Northallerton's Friarage Hospital, in North Yorkshire, he was 12 days overdue and his mother, Julie, was due to be induced later that night.

Julie and her husband, Mark, said they were not superstitious, but the timing did strike them as a little strange.

Mr Harding said: "It was a slow process all day and it was getting to 6.30pm and I thought, 'wouldn't it be weird if the baby was to come at 7pm or 7.07pm?'"

Mrs Harding said: "He was due on June 25. My husband and I are both Cancerians and have birthdays in July. I didn't think for one minute he would be born in July too.

"We went to the hospital and he was born at 6.53pm. At the time we didn't realise that it was seven minutes to seven. We just asked what time he was born. The feeling in the room was really unusual. We all thought it was really weird.

"I'm not superstitious, but my granddad, John, is very superstitious. The number seven means a lot to him. He was born on July 14, 1921, or 7/14/21, so he was a bit touched by it all."

And the significance of the date doesn't end there. Mrs Harding discovered yesterday that her grandparents were married on July 7 and were celebrating their anniversary as Eddie was being born. Mrs Harding said she didn't feel particularly lucky on the day, as Eddie's birth was quite difficult, but she thanked staff at the Friarage Hospital.

"They were all brilliant," she said. "Diane Robinson, the midwife who delivered my first baby, Charlie, happened to be there. That was my lucky day - seeing she was there.

"When she walked in the room I thanked my lucky stars that she was there."