Woman trapped in traffic seen giving birth near Meadowhall amid Sheffield flooding

A woman who was trapped in traffic due to flooding in Sheffield was seen giving birth in her car by a passer by.

The woman, thought to be in her mid-twenties and driving alone, stopped and shouted for help on the Tinsley Roundabout as flood waters rose around Meadowhall Shopping Centre on Thursday evening.

John Dearing was heading home to Bramley in Rotherham in a taxi with another passenger when he heard a commotion a few vehicles in front at around 7.30pm

"We heard some shouting but didn't know what was going on at first," said the 39-year-old.

"The traffic was inching forward but she seemed to over-accelerate and almost went into the car in front.

"She flung open the door and started waving her arms - she seemed agitated.

"We saw people running forward from the car behind. We thought it was some kind of road rage incident at first.

"Then they turned round with pale faces."

Six people rushed to the woman's aid, with some alerting a police officer who was directing traffic on the roundabout.

But with traffic 'bumper to bumper', Mr Dearing, a father-of-one, said there seemed no way to get the woman to hospital and no route for an ambulance to get through.

With plenty of people helping by this stage, traffic gradually moved past the woman's car.

"The passenger seat was right back and she was laid down, feet apart on the dashboard," added Mr Dearing, a business development manager at utility company Engie.

"It was certainly not a normal commute."

Overall, it took Mr Dearing two-and-half hours to travel the 11 miles from Sheffield station to his home.

Local hospitals have been contacted to try to establish what happened afterwards.