TWICE within a year Diane Day's babies have taken her by surprise.

Last July her son Jamie was 12 days late, but arrived in a real hurry - born on the front seat of a car as she was being driven to hospital.

Then last month daughter Calice was born. And she just could not wait to enter the world.

She was nearly three months early . . . and announced her imminent arrival while Diane was working in a Bolton pub.

Calice weighed in at just 3 lbs 5 oz when she was born on May 5 and is now in the neo-natal unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Diane said: "I certainly don't expect anything normal to happen with childbirth now - but I'm just over the moon that Calice is doing really well."

Diane, a mother of five, was working a shift at The Feathers in Breightmet Fold Lane when she suddenly realised she needed help.

Terrified something was seriously wrong, she went to the Royal Bolton Hospital only to be told she had gone into labour - 11 weeks early.

At 6.25pm, Calice made her appearance and was immediately transferred to the neo-natal unit.

Diane said: "I had some tests done and then all of a sudden I was told I was in labour. Before I knew it Calice was born."

Now Diane and husband Gavin, who live in Breightmet, hope Calice will be allowed to go home before July 22 - the day she should have been born.

"We've been told we can probably take her home on her original birth date, but anything before that would be really good and she's putting on weight and doing so well," Diane said.

Son Jamie was a healthy 8lbs 6oz when he was born in on the front seat of a Vauxhall Corsa.

He arrived just hours before Diane was due to be induced by doctors at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

She had her first contraction at 3.30am on July 14 last year - and by 4.25am she was holding her baby son.

Baby Jamie's aunt, Sonia Ader, had to pull over in Long Lane as she was driving Diane to hospital.

As a thank you to hospital staff, Diane and Gavin decided to hold a fundraising car wash over the last bank holiday weekend at The Feathers. And they raised £250 for vital equipment for the neo-natal ward at the hospital.

Diane said: "I'd never really thought about the neo-natal unit before, but now we've spent a lot of time there I know the valuable job staff do and how important it is.

"I knew we had to do something to help. "