Relieved dad Roy Barlow says controller David Twigdon Williams was "brilliant" as he helped bring little Millie Megan Barlow into the world.

David has been in the ambulance control room for over three years but only moved to emergency calls last December and this was his first live birth.

His efforts have now been recognised at Ambulance Control for North Wales at Llanfairfechan where the recording of the call to the Barlows' home is to be used as a training aid.

Roy, a director of Topaz Cosmetics in Guilden Sutton, near Chester, had dashed home from work to take wife, Alison, to hospital only to find that events had moved on and that the baby was in a hurry to arrive.

Roy, 49, from Maes y Parc, Halton, near Chirk, said: "I'd spoken to my wife at 12.30pm and everything was fine so I sat down to eat a sandwich at work for my lunch.

"Then at 12.50 my secretary told me I'd better go home and by the time I'd got there from Chester it was half past one and it was clear Alison wasn't going anywhere."

Phone problems added to the pressure but Roy eventually managed to get through to ambulance control on a neighbour's phone before David called him back on Roy's mobile.

It was a second baby for Alison, 42 – her first was 25 years earlier – and the couple couldn't be happier, though seven pound Millie's arrival was pretty nerve-wracking.

Roy added: "Alison was in the bathroom and I managed to get her on to the floor and I was on the phone as I tried to follow David's instructions.

"I could see the baby's head and the cord was across it so I just pushed gently on it and out she came in half a second.

"I had just managed to turn Alison onto her side and give Millie to her when the paramedic arrived.

"David was brilliant and very calm. Alison and little Millie are fine so it was just a perfect outcome."

David, 44, a father of two from Pendre Avenue, Prestatyn, said: "I think Roy was quite stressed by it but he did well and followed what I was telling him and I did my best to keep his attention.

"I could hear that she was pushing and asked if he could see the head and he shouted 'The baby's coming out now' and nature just took its course.

"You don't really get nervous. The training kicks in and you get on with it and give them the basic instructions and tell them to wipe the baby's nose and mouth to help it to breathe.

"I've been told that they're going to keep the recording and copy it as a training aid and that makes me feel quite proud. It's still a great feeling though when you hear the baby cry over the phone."

Experienced paramedic Kevin Hands was soon on the scene after the birth and he said: "David did a very good job, he's been excellent, and it's nice for the staff in control to get some credit.

"They're a vital part of the machinery of the service and a part that's often taken for granted but it's certainly one of the busiest and most hectic departments you would ever want to work in.

"They're often the unsung heroes and it's nice for them to get some credit."

Meanwhile, David hopes soon to be joining Kevin and the other emergency ambulance staff on the road: "I've been accepted for ambulance technician training," he said, "so I hope to be out on the road myself soon."

To listen to the gripping phone conversation click the green play button at the top of this page.