By Dave Roberts TWO Bolton bobbies have been praised after coming to the rescue of a heavily pregnant woman.

PC Andy Crook and WPC Alison Ball were flagged down by the woman's worried boyfriend at the junction of Chorley New Road and Beaumont Road.

When the duo jumped from their van they discovered eight-month pregnant Gemma Walker in a car, bleeding badly.

But instead of waiting for an ambulance to reach them through the evening rush-hour traffic on Thursday they pulled her from the car and went on a mercy dash in their police van to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

PC Crook, who is based with his colleague at Astley Bridge police station, said: "We only did what anyone else would have done. It's all part of the job. I couldn't tell how bad she was but I just wanted to get her to hospital as quickly as possible. We had the blue lights going and the headlights were flashing."

While the police van cut through the heavy traffic, Gemma's anxious boyfriend, Paul Fletcher, of Greenway Close, Hall i' th' Wood, followed behind.

After being kept in hospital for 24 hours for observation Gemma, of Tonge Head Avenue, Hall i' th' Wood, was released yesterday afternoon.

The grateful couple have now written a letter of thanks to police chiefs.

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