TORY voters Judith Allen and Paul Welsh did not expect to have much to celebrate as they sat down to watch the General Election results.

But, as Tony Blair swept back to power, Judith started having stomach pains. - and, to the couple's astonishment, she went into labour!

They did now even realise she was pregnant, but only an hour and a half after Judith, 26, had her first unexpected twinges, she had given birth to tiny 3lb 7oz Kimberley Jay.

"It was really like it wasn't happening at all," said proud new dad Paul, 32, who lives with Judith in Ballater Close, East Stanley, County Durham.

"I still feel like that now, like it really can't have happened. But believe me when I say we really could not be happier in a million years than we are now."

Both mother and baby, who is thought to be about six weeks premature, are doing well at the new University Hospital in Durham City.

The pair work at the nearby Asda store in Stanley and Paul said a few jokey comments had come Judith's way from colleagues as she put on weight. "They even said, 'are you sure you're not pregnant?' and, of course, we just laughed.

"We've moved house and haven't had time to eat proper food so we've had a few takeaways and put her weight gain down to that.

"She'd had her periods, which can happen, and we didn't give it a thought.

"At about eight o'clock I'd sat down to watch the television and ten minutes later Judith was screaming for me upstairs. No time after that we had a new little girl."

Paul, who has another daughter, four-year-old Abigail with Judith, explained that he had decided not to give his mother the news until she came back from holiday on Saturday. "She was a little shocked, but over the moon, as was Abigail and all our family."