Birthday to remember for family in a million

Shortly after Emily Beard was born on the 12th day of the 12th month at 12 minutes past 12, her family realised that a string of similar coincidences surrounded all their births.

Her father David was born on the fourth day of the fourth month at 4.40pm and her mother Helen came into the world on the 10th of the 10th.

But it did not end there - her brother Harry arrived on the sixth of the sixth and their grandmother Sylvia started the cycle when she was born on the 11th of the 11th.

Bookmakers said the chance of re-creating such an extraordinary sequence of birth dates are a million to one. Andy Clifton, spokesman for Ladbrokes bookmakers, said: "For this to happen would normally be a million-to-one chance.

"But if this particular family wanted a bet it would only be 20-1 with Ladbrokes."

The bizarre sequence was completed when Mrs Beard, 32, gave birth to Emily at 12.12pm - more than two hours late.

Mr Beard, a heating engineer, said yesterday: "It's all a bit strange. Emily was being born by Caesarean section and was supposed to be born at 10am but there were complications so they put the birth back.

"She went up to theatre at 10 minutes past 11 and then they couldn't get a needle in her arm to get the drip in and things just ran on and on."

The delays meant that it was past noon when Emily finally arrived at St Mary's Hospital, Portsmouth.

Mr Beard said: "The doctor said 'little girl, born at...' and we all looked at the clock and it was 12 minutes past 12. Everyone sort of looked at each other."

He said the family had not realised the string of coincidences until he rang his mother, Sylvia, to tell her about the birth.

"She said I'd been born at 4.40 and that's when we realised just how weird it was." But he added they had decided not to have any more children. Instead, they would start using those numbers for the lottery.

"It's got to be good luck if anything," he said.