Little Noah was final baby born at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in 2021

The bonny infant had originally been expected on Wednesday January 5 and might have been one of the first babies born at the hospital in 2022.

But he clearly isn’t one to hang about and he came into the world at 11.30pm on Friday December 31, New Year’s Eve, just half an hour before the bells chimed at midnight and ushered in the New Year.

Noah, who weighed in at a healthy 81b 3oz, is the first son of Emily Houston, 24, who is single and works as a receptionist.

Emily is the only daughter of Donna Houston, 46, of Hodder Avenue, Fleetwood and Noah is Donna's first grandchild,

The proud grandmother, an admin assistant at the Spire Fylde Coast Hospital on St Walburgas Road in Blackpool, was delighted to become a gran for the first time.

Donna was at the hospital to support Emily and couldn’t wait to get her first glimpse of little Noah.

She said: “It’s fantastic to be a grandmother, he’s just beautiful and I can’t get enough of him.

“Noah and Emily are both doing really well.

“He wasn’t due until January 5 but he obviously had other ideas and Emily went into hospital on Wednesday, December 29.

“When Noah was born the staff told us that he would be the final baby of 2021 to be born at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.”

Mother and baby are due to leave the hospital's neonatal until and go home on Wednesday this week.

Noah is also the first great grandchild for Robert Houston, Donna's father, a former inshore fisherman who still lives in Fleetwood.

Donna added: "It's really wonderful - our celebrations started before the New Year came in."