MERSEY tunnel staff have been slammed after an ambulance carrying a Wirral mum-to-be due to give birth to her premature baby at any moment was delayed over a £1.70 toll.

An investigation has been launched after the ambulance carrying 31-year-old Danielle Ollerhead was made to pull over at the toll booths at the Wallasey tunnel.

Danielle, from Birkenhead, is only 29 weeks pregnant but expected to give birth at any point.

She was being transferred back to Arrowe Park Hospital from Ormskirk Hospital, where she had been taken due to a lack of space in the Wirral hospital’s special baby unit.

But on Thursday night, space was made available for Danielle and she was transferred back to Wirral on an emergency run, although the ambulance’s blue lights were not active.

“As we approached the tunnel, the woman at the kiosk asked the ambulance driver for a tag. The ambulance driver told her they hadn’t got one because they were from Lancashire and were just on a job,” said Danielle.

“The woman then said ‘You have to pay to use the tunnel then’ but the ambulance driver said ‘I’m on an emergency job, I have a patient in the back who is being transferred’ but the toll woman said they still had to pay.”

The ambulance was then made to pull to one side while a manager for the tunnel operator was contacted.

Danielle took to social media to express her disgust at the treatment of those looking after her, describing the tunnel staff’s attitude as “vile” and “patronising”.

She said: “I am carrying a child that needs special care, if anything were to happen, that time could have been the difference between my unborn child's life, health, death.

"What an absolute disgrace. They were asking our amazing paramedics for £1.70 and actually stopped an ambulance in its tracks on what was classified as an emergency."

It took around 10 minutes for the situation to be resolved.

Danielle’s father-in-law Ray Lampkin told the Globe he was “disgusted” at the actions of Merseytravel staff.

He said: “I just think it’s absolutely disgraceful. The tunnel staff didn’t know what was happening in the back of the ambulance - I’m seething about it.

“It could have cost someone their life for £1.70.”

Merseytravel have since apologised for the “poor customer service” received, but told the Globe it is down to the emergency services to inform their control room if they have a vehicle approaching on an emergency job.

Gary Evans, head of customer delivery at Merseytravel, said: “We work closely with the emergency services to facilitate a number of ambulances through the Mersey Tunnels every day whether they’re travelling locally or from further afield.

“So we can best assist, it is agreed protocol that the emergency services inform our control room that they have a vehicle approaching on an emergency job. This is so a message can be passed to our tolling office so they can let vehicles through without delay or without charge.

“We will often also provide a police escort free of charge if a unit available. The North West Ambulance Service did not contact us in this instance.

“However, that does not excuse the poor customer service received and we are investigating those details.

“We wish the mum-to-be well and apologise for any distress caused.”

A North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust spokesperson said: “The  trust is aware of a minor delay in transporting a patient with a non-life threatening condition through the Mersey tunnel on August 6, 2015. 

"The ambulance involved was not local to the area so was not fitted with a ‘fast tag’ that our local vehicles have. The ambulance was granted access to the tunnel once it was confirmed that the vehicle was transporting a patient to hospital.”