BOLTON couples hoping for a baby to bring in the new Millennium are being warned that Caesarean deliveries will not be given on demand.

Around the country, doctors have expressed concern that there may be a boom in births as couples race to have the first baby of 2000.

But anyone thinking of requesting a Caesarean section to ensure their new arrival makes an appearance on the first day of the year is out of luck.

A spokesman for the Royal Bolton Hospital said: "Babies do not always arrive on a hoped-for date and we do not and will not be offering Caesarean sections on demand. "If couples want to try for a baby which might arrive around the time of the new Millennium that is their decision, though one would hope they take all the other factors into account first."

For anyone hoping to have a baby early in the New Year, the time to conceive is fast approaching.

Experts vary in their opinion of the right date to start a baby, with dates ranging from March 17 to April 19.

But doctors are stressing that it is impossible to predict which births will actually happen on January 1. Only five per cent of all babies are born on their due date!

A survey carried out by supermarket chain Tesco shows that plenty of people are thinking seriously about the idea of a Millennium baby.

The company says it has discovered that up to one in 10 British couples are considering trying to conceive in the next few weeks.

It has already noticed an increase in the sales of folic acid and is increasing stocks of pregnancy tests to meet an expected demand late next month. "We commissioned the survey when we noticed that leaflets titled "Planning a Healthy Pregnancy" were disappearing from our pharmacies," said Tesco spokesman Simon Soffe.

"The research showed that many people were considering a Millennium baby. The reasons they gave was that it was to mark the start of a new era and some were doing it for religious reasons."

But horrified doctors have also found that some people have financial reasons for wanting to be first into 2000 with a new baby.

One Midlands family were turned down for IVF treatment at a London fertility centre after they wrote saying they wanted a Millennium baby so they could sell advertising space on its clothes and crib.

Other medical staff are concerned about the extra strain a boom in births at the beginning of next year could put on staff and equipment in hospitals, especially as the full effect the Mmillennium bug will have is not yet known.

The spokesman for The Royal Bolton Hospital says it is too early to say whether Bolton will have a New Year baby boom.

"But we do have a project team which is preparing for all aspects of the Millennium and that includes looking at staffing levels and checking equipment," she said.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.