PROUD parents across East Lancashire jumped for joy yesterday as their newborn babies arrived into the world on Leap Year Day.

Since December new mum and dad, Elaine Cooney and Adam Talbot, suspected baby Abigail would be born on February 29 - and so it proved!

Abigail was born at 2.20am at Blackburn's Queen's Park Hospital - 11 days overdue.

Overjoyed Elaine, from Maple Street, Great Harwood, said: "We didn't think she wanted to come out! It doesn't really make any difference that she's born on February 29."

Adam, who works with Elaine at Reach Global in Elm Street Business Park, Burnley, said: "It's been a long wait, but worth every minute."

Adam added Abigail will have her birthday celebrations on February 28 with a special birthday every four years on a Leap Year.

A glowing Mubina Azeem, 23, gave birth to baby Fariya, weighing 6lb 2oz, at 2.14am.

Proud dad Shahid, 24, of St James's Road, Blackburn, was present at the birth.

It was the first baby for delighted Mubina, who works at PC World in Blackburn - although Fariya was not due until March 11.

Mubina said: "It's special but also a bit strange for her to be born on February 29.

"I was not expecting it at all to fall on this day. It was a surprise!"

Mubina and Shahid will also celebrate Fariya's birth on February 28 when it is not a Leap Year.

Meanwhile, baby CommunityHayden was one of two leap year babies to arrive in Burnley.

New mum Kim Gregory, from Todmorden, was taken into Burnley General Hospital on Thursday to be induced. But Hayden, who weighed 8lbs 4oz, did not arrive until the early hours of yesterday morning.

Kim and husband Matthew, 31, who have been married for two years and both work as staff nurses at Burnley General Hospital, are delighted with the arrival of their first child.

Kim, 28, said: "I don't know what we will do about celebrating his birthday between the leap years. We expected him to arrive on Saturday, not Sunday."

And it was a day of celebration for The Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

Shuiab Khan, of Blackburn, editor of sister paper Asian Image and a columnist for the Telegraph, became a proud Leap Year dad. Shuiab's wife Shehnaz, 27, gave birth to a girl.

"I'm chuffed," said Shuiab.