PROUD dad Colin Sweeney has told of how he came within seconds of delivering his daughter after his wife went into labour in a hotel.

Mr Sweeney was with his family visiting his mother-in-law in Kent, when wife, Jane, suddenly went into labour.

Little Erin Jane was not due until December 20 but popped into the world at 8.07am on December 9 in their bedroom at the Premier Inn in Margate.

“Jane woke around 6.30am feeling unwell and her contractions had started,” said Mr Sweeney, from Sandpiper Road, Ipswich.

“I contacted the hospital and they told me to wait a while and see if the contractions increased.

“They soon did increase and so I got back on the phone and they said they would send a crew out to us. I was beginning to get extremely concerned as things were moving very fast.

“They were brilliant and talked me through what preparations I had to make in case I had to deliver the baby myself.

“I put Match of the Day on to keep my son, Louis, occupied while I looked after Jane who was in a lot of pain.

“Just as Erin was about to arrive the paramedics came in and took over – it was a huge relief.

“It had literally been one-and-a-half hours between Jane waking up and little Erin being delivered. The five minutes waiting for the paramedics was the longest five minutes of my life.”

The family became celebrities for a short while as Erin is believed to be the first baby ever to be born in a Premier Inn.

“They were very good and couldn’t do enough for us,” added Mr Sweeney, who works for Tendring District Council at Clacton Town Hall as Democratic Services Manager.

Both mother and baby, who weighed in at 7lb 6ozs, are doing fine and the family is back home.

Mr Sweeney previously worked for Suffolk County Council before joining Tendring in July.