A former Times reporter managed to keep his cool when his wife delivered their second child in the front seat of their car.

Gareth Burton, 26, was forced into action when his wife Amy, 27, who works at St Margaret’s Preparatory School in Gosfield, rang him at his new workplace at Essex County Council last Thursday to say that she was having contractions and believed she was in the early stages of labour.

Believing that he had plenty of time, Mr Burton, who used to live in Braintree but has recently moved to Boreham, initially wanted to stay at work but his employers told him to go home early.

The couple left home at 4.25pm and headed to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford but son Luca didn’t want to wait.

See this week's Braintree and Witham Times for the full story.