Expectant mother Deborah Payne was horrified when she had to travel to Portsmouth Hospital after being turned away from Swindon's special care baby unit.

Miss Payne, 22, who is seven months pregnant, has a history of miscarriages, and her only child Ryan was born five years ago by Caesarean section following a difficult pregnancy.

Last Friday afternoon, her waters broke and she started having contractions, even though she was two months before her due date.

Her partner Keith Smith, 27, rushed from work at Hygrade in Chippenham to their home in Oxford Road, Calne, and rang the Great Western Hospital in Swindon where Miss Payne is registered.

"They said I should come up to the hospital straightaway but it would be a two hour wait for an ambulance. We had to get my Dad to give us a lift up there," said Miss Payne.

Miss Payne arrived at the hospital at around 4.30pm and saw a doctor straight away. She was put into a bed and given drugs to try to stop the contractions while doctors monitored her.

At 10pm she was told that she needed to be admitted to a special care baby unit but there was no availability at the hospital.

Miss Payne said: "They said the unit was closed. There were babies in there but it was closed to anyone else. I think they didn't have enough staff to take in any more babies."

Mr Smith said: "I asked them why they had sent us up there if the unit was closed and they couldn't answer me."

The couple were told that they needed to be transferred because doctors could not stop the contractions.

Staff rang all the hospitals in the district but there were no beds available, except in Portsmouth.

Miss Payne was told she had to travel to Portsmouth on her own in the ambulance.

Mr Smith said: "They told us to come up to Swindon even though they knew Deborah had a history of problems, and the baby care unit was closed. We weren't told anything for hours and their attitude was really bad."

A spokesman for Great Western Hospital said: "Due to the strict rules on patient confidentiality we are unable to discuss individual cases.

"We are sorry Miss Payne was unhappy with the service she received, however, we have not received a complaint through our PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) office. Should Miss Payne wish to contact us, raising the issues which are causing her concern, we will investigate them thoroughly."

The hospital said they could not comment on the staffing of the special care baby unit because it would breach Miss Payne's confidentiality.

Mr Smith said they had further problems when they were preparing to travel to Portsmouth.

"They wanted her to go on her own to Portsmouth without me when she was really worried and needed my support. Their attitude was she will be all right, there is a midwife with her," he said.

After pleading with the doctor and paramedics, Mr Smith was finally allowed to travel in the back of the ambulance.

It took two-and-a-half hours to reach Portsmouth Hospital and they had to stop on the way because Miss Payne had more contractions. By the time they arrived it was 1am on Saturday.

The contractions had stopped by this time and Miss Payne was put on a ward to stay overnight.

The couple are still unsure what will happen next. Miss Payne said: "We still have no guarantee that they can get us in at Swindon. I am trying to get into Bath's Royal United Hospital but I haven't been able to yet. We may have to go through all that again."

Mr Smith said it was not the first time they been unhappy with Great Western Hospital. He said: "We were going to complain after last time but then Debbie got sick with suspected MS and I had to look after her."