Mom charged 'soiling fee' after giving birth in back of taxi

A new mother was forced to pay a £40 'soiling fee' on top of her journey costs - after giving birth in the back of a taxi.

Mellisa Crosdale, 22, was left stunned after her cab driver demanded she cough up the money after her waters broke on the back seat, said the Daily Mail.

And despite Mellisa screaming in agony during the birth of her daughter - the driver simply sat there with his eyes glued to the ticking meter.

She said: 'It's lucky it was a quick birth - else I could have faced paying a small fortune.

'It was unbelievable, he just sat there and didn't even turn round to check on what was happening.

'All he did was stare at the meter, he didn't even offer to help once. It's disgusting the way I was treated.

'My baby was still attached to the umbilical cord and it was five to ten minutes before the paramedics arrived - then another 15 to 20 until I was put in the ambulance.

'But he still insisted I had to pay him the money there and then. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.'

Mellisa was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when she began having contractions at her sister's house in Coventry in the early hours of Thursday.

She rang local taxi firm Central Taxis to take her three-year-old son Ewen to her father's house before rushing her to University Hospital with her sister.

But while on the way, her waters broke and she gave birth to her daughter Rowena who weighed 6lb 8oz.

She added: 'I'd been having contractions and I didn't know what to do so I phoned for Central Taxis as I have used them for years.

'While on the way to hospital my waters broke - I was down on my hands and knees pushing and screaming.

'The baby was already there before we got to the hospital so paramedics had to come to us.

'I couldn't stop laughing at first I thought it was so funny - I kept saying to myself "I've just given birth in the back of a taxi" it was all so surreal.

'I'd read about a woman who gave birth on a bus and always thought how mad it would be if it happened to me.

'But then I started to feel angry - I felt really exposed just sat there. He only got out of the taxi once when I thought he was coming to help but he just called someone on his phone.'

Mellisa was charged £14 for the journey and a further £40 soiling fee.

A spokesman for Central taxis said the company was investigating the matter.

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