A woman described her shock at giving birth in a snooker hall toilet – not even realising she was pregnant.

But the baby girl died and her mum relived her ordeal at an inquest.

The 22-year-old told the hearing she had been out for the night at The Ashford Club.

She said: “I had severe pains in my stomach and went to the toilet. I thought I had had too much to drink.

“It was searing pain. I couldn’t stand up and there was blood everywhere. Then [the baby] came out.

“I didn’t know I was pregnant.”

The mother had suddenly suffered pain at 1am at the nightspot in Ashford’s Lower High Street on Saturday, June 30, last year.

After suddenly giving birth in the toilet she instantly checked to see if the baby was breathing and called her boyfriend, the child’s father, who was with her that evening.

Paramedics were also immediately called and the mother and child were taken to the town’s William Harvey Hospital. But the baby had died, having been delivered stillborn.

The inquest at Dover Magistrates Court heard the mother was confirmed as pregnant in January 2012 but the doctor could not detect a heartbeat and it was believed she had suffered a miscarriage.

Police had initially investigated the death. Their report to the inquest said that the mother was not aware she was pregnant and that night had consumed a couple of vodka and cokes and a couple of shots.

Had she known she was pregnant, she would not have taken alcohol as she wanted the baby.

But it was found by that time she was 36 weeks pregnant.

Dr Michael Ashworth, consultant paediatric pathologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, said the baby had died of perinatal asphyxia, lack of oxygen to the tissue, at or about the time of birth.

But there was air in the lungs showing she had been breathing, even for the shortest time.

Central and South East Kent Coroner Rachel Redman described the case as “hugely distressing” for the baby’s family and recorded a verdict of natural causes.