Tow truck takes baby to hospital

Mr Woodward towed the ambulance to hospital on his truck

A quick-thinking bus engineer towed a broken-down ambulance carrying a baby in an incubator to a Bristol hospital.

Pete Woodward was on his way back to the depot at Lawrence Hill when he came across the stricken vehicle in Chippenham.

The delicate equipment on board meant it could not be transferred to another vehicle.

With baby and crew onboard Mr Woodward loaded the ambulance onto the truck and drove to hospital with a police escort.

'Lights blazing'

He said: "As we got closer to the hospital I was told we needed to go to the maternity ward on St Michael's Hill.

"The police did an amazing job, it's hard enough trying to get a police car through those roads, but to clear the way for a truck is near impossible.

"I could see the ambulance driver's face as we went up that hill too, all the lights blazing - it was quite a sight."

The baby was subsequently treated successfully at the hospital.

Chris Jones, engineering director for First Bristol, Somerset and Avon, said: "We are all really proud of Pete, because of him the patient, crew and vehicle were successfully delivered.

"It must be the first time a 65-tonne gross vehicle has delivered such a small baby."