A firefighter who helped deliver a baby while a pregnant woman was stuck in traffic has said it was one of the “highlights” of his career.

Ross McLaren, 33, of Euston fire station was in Ponders End helping tame the fire which ravaged a restaurant and estate agent on the High Street.

However, he and colleague Richie Hall quickly turned midwife as a mum-to-be stuck in traffic entered the final stages of labour on her way to North Middlesex Hospital in Sterling Way, Edmonton.

Describing the dramatic events, Mr McLaren said: “The husband was driving and was in a bit of a panic. I could see that the lady in the back seat was in the middle of giving birth and when I looked I could see the baby’s head.

“We began to give the mum oxygen and to try and reassure her. While Richie carried on doing that I ran round to where the baby was and kept telling the lady to push.

“Once he was born we rubbed him down to get his circulation going and when he started crying I knew it was going to be alright. We then kept mum and baby warm until London Ambulance Service arrived to take them to hospital.”

Mr McLaren, who has been a firefighter for 15 years, said it was one of the more unusual days at work that he had had, adding that he had an idea of what to do because his wife was an “avid viewer" of One Born Every Minute.

He added: “It has definitely been one of the highlights of my career and it's not something I ever expected that I would do in my life. Someone said to me the other day that as firefighters we usually enter people's lives at their worst moments so being there at such a joyful occasion makes a nice change.”