A WOMAN became an emergency midwife when she helped to deliver her granddaughter on a living-room sofa.

Eileen Moore was horrified when she realised her daughter, Tracy Hughes, was about to give birth at her home in Trimdon Grange, County Durham.

But, helped by her other daughter and a neighbour, Mrs Moore kept her composure and, just ten minutes later, Olivia Jane was born.

The drama unfolded on Saturday afternoon in Rothbury Crescent, where Mrs Hughes, 29, lives with her husband, Michael, and four-year-old son, Jay.

She thought she was going into labour, three days overdue, on Saturday morning and packed her bags ready to go to hospital.

By 1pm, her contractions were two minutes apart, so she phoned the hospital. She told the midwife she was handling the contractions well and was asked to ring back about an hour later.

But, about 50 minutes later, the situation got worse and Mrs Hughes called the midwife again, as well as her mother, sister Lisa and neighbour Margaret Curry, who is a nurse.

She said: "It was really frightening. My waters broke in the kitchen at ten to two and I had Olivia in the living-room, on the Chesterfield, at two o' clock.

"My mother and my sister and one of my neighbours delivered her. The ambulance did not make it and pulled up about half-an-hour after she was born."

Mrs Moore said the experience had been horrendous and added: "Tracy said she only dared look at my face once because of the look of horror.

"My other daughter, Lisa, was on the phone talking to the hospital and they were telling her what to do.

"I was left with Tracy on my own. I shouted to her husband to run and get my neighbour, who is a nurse, and when Margaret arrived Tracy wanted to push. I was relieved when she arrived to give her support."

Shortly afterwards, Olivia arrived - weighing 7lb 10oz - and both mother and daughter are doing well.

Olivia is the first granddaughter for Mrs Moore and her husband, Brent, after five grandsons.

Mrs Moore said: "It was bedlam, but once we knew everything was okay and we heard Olivia cry, everyone in the house just cried, screamed and laughed."