Demand for special care for newborn babies is so high a temporary extension has been built at Luton & Dunstable Hospital.

A completely new unit costing £7 million will be built in 2010, but the need is already so great the temporary unit will open any day now to help ease the pressure.

Maternity staff at the L&D deliver 5,000 babies a year, and about one in 10 needs special care. The current neo-natal intensive care unit can take 29 babies, but the extension will provide space for another six.

Hospital spokesman Katrina Grant said: 'Nationally the birth rate is rising, and Luton's birth rate is higher than average, so we are supporting about 500 babies a year in the NICU.

'The new unit will open in autumn 2010 but in the meantime we're opening the temporary unit because we decided we had to act now.'

The hospital's NICU unit is the lead centre for neo-natal care in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, and once the nw unit opens in 2010 the hospital will be able to take a total of 46 babies.

Luton's mayor Norris Bullock visited the temporary unit last week one one of his last official engagements before his term of office ends later this month.

Luton & Dunstable Hospital