Inquiry call into ferry drama

A helicopter flew 40 miles off the Cornish coast to reach the ferry

Refugee officials are calling for an inquiry after a Romanian woman gave birth on board a ferry, after being refused entry to the Irish Republic the day before.

A doctor was airlifted onto the Irish Ferries vessel Normandy by a Royal Navy helicopter from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall on Saturday.

Dr Robert Bolton from the naval airbase helped a nurse travelling on the ferry to deliver the child.

The woman was one of six people turned back by the Irish authorities when they arrived in Rosslare on Friday.

But immigration police in the Irish port were not aware that she was heavily pregnant.

The Irish Government should be prepared to take the needs and health of people into consideration

Irish Refugee Council

The woman went into labour aboard the ferry while it was en route from Rosslare to the French port of Roscoff, at about midnight on Friday night.

She gave birth at 1230 BST on Saturday and she and her daughter are both said to be well.

Irish refugee support organisations tonight said they were horrified that the woman had been put back on the ferry when the birth was imminent.

Ann Scully of the Refugee Council said: "The Irish Government should be prepared to take the needs and health of people into consideration.

"There should be an investigation into this to ensure that it never happens again."

An immigration officer in Rosslare said two of the six people refused entry under the terms of the Irish Immigration Act had tried to enter the country before with false passports.

The ferry docked later on Saturday in Roscoff after an 18-hour voyage.