Newton Abbot ­couple Jessie Pope and Ben Hagger have described the arrival of their Christmas day baby as an 'amazing' addition to their lives.

The bouncing boy, who has yet to be named, was born in the town's new hospital two and a half weeks earlier than expected – the first Christmas day baby for the Jetty Marsh site.

After going into labour at their ­Halcyon Road home at 5am, 28-year-old Miss Pope gave birth at 9.45am, the baby weighing just over 7lbs.

'It's just absolutely amazing. we're going to have lots of ­sleepless nights, but it's still just amazing,' said Miss Pope, who works in insurance.

Dad Ben is a 32-year-old manager with Teign Housing. The couple have only recently moved to the area.