A new dad has praised a Bury St Edmunds garage for ensuring he got to hospital in time for the birth of his first child.

But not only did staff at the Volkswagen garage in Northern Way drive Captain Nick Sharpe to the hospital, they also returned the car to the hospital - fixed free of charge - with a bunch of flowers for his wife Laura and a teddy for their baby Arya.

Capt Sharpe, 31, who is based at RAF Wattisham and is part of 3 Regiment Army Air Corps (AAC), described how he was on his way to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds last week when he realised he needed to get to a garage as the engine was not responding properly.

He said he wife was being checked at the hospital and he had not been able to stay overnight.

He explained to the VW staff about his wife being pretty much in labour in the next few hours, with their response being “just unbelievable”.

While they looked at his car, aftersales manager Terry Scott drove Capt Sharpe into town as he needed to pick up some things for the hospital and when the serviceman got the call from his wife saying she had gone into labour, Mr Scott insisted on getting him to her.

“As he dropped me off he said ‘give me an hour and a half and I will get your keys to you in the car park’,” Capt Sharpe said.

Arya - named after the character in the Game of Thrones television programme - was born at 00:52 on July 16, weighing 8Ib7oz.

Speaking of the fantastic service he received from the garage, Capt Sharpe said: “You never expect it in this day and age. They were just unbelievable, wonderful.”

To show his appreciation, he arranged for the Mayor of St Edmundsbury, councillor Robert Everitt, to pop into the garage earlier this week, and Capt Sharpe and his wife also introduced Arya to the team.

Mr Scott said: “For us it was not only about sorting out his car, but making sure he could get back to the hospital to spend time with his wife and newborn.”

He said the team regularly went the extra mile with customers, such as on their birthdays, to make them feel special.

“The motor industry has never had the greatest of names. For us it’s about customer service,” he said.