A panicked mum attempted to rush her lifeless baby to hospital on foot after receiving no answer from ambulance crews to her desperate 999 call.

Eleven-month-old Jasper Cairns suffocated after slipping off a double bed and into a gap wedged with pillows and teddies to protect him if he fell.

Now an inquest into his death has been told of the emergency call delays on the night of the tragedy in Cliftonville, near Margate, last summer.

Giving evidence, his mum, Marie Mcdonald, gave a heartbreaking account of the fateful evening.

The hearing at Canterbury Coroners' Court was told Jasper and his older brother Lucas shared a double bed in the corner of an alcove at her boyfriend's flat in Ethelbert Crescent.

Pillows, soft toys and clothes had been wedged in a gap between the bed and a wall to protect the boys if they fell.

The family had been splitting their time between staying there and at Miss Mcdonald's father's one-bedroom flat. A cot for Jasper was in the room but had yet to be assembled because it arrived with no screws.

On June 8 last year, after a day of family fun in the garden with friends, Miss Mcdonald put the boys to bed at about 6.30pm.

"I lay in bed with both kids and fed Jasper a bottle," she said.

"I checked them again at 8.30pm. As I went in, I couldn't see Jasper on the bed, which confused me, because he had never come off the bed before. I was looking for him, and I saw his leg down the side."

The inquest was told Jasper was limp and unresponsive. Miss Mcdonald called for her boyfriend, Craig Allen, who started performing CPR.

"Craig took him off me, put him on the bed and tried to resuscitate him," she said.

"Straight away, I got my phone and tried to call an ambulance. I was put through but the phone was just ringing and ringing and ringing."

"As I went in, I couldn't see Jasper on the bed, which confused me, because he had never come off the bed before..." - Marie Mcdonald

With no answer from the ambulance service, the panicked couple - who had no car - decided to rush to the QEQM Hospital on foot, almost a mile away.

A passing off-duty taxi driver could see they were in distress and offered them a lift, but after calling 999 again in the cab the couple were advised to pull over at the Victoria traffic lights and wait for an ambulance.

Despite the efforts of paramedics and doctors at the hospital, Jasper was pronounced dead, just 15 days before his first birthday.

A post-mortem examination concluded he had died of positional asphyxiation, with no evidence of medical illness or signs of physical abuse or mistreatment.

Miss Mcdonald told the inquest: "He was just my little baby. He was happy, he was healthy. He was always laughing and he loved everybody."

Giving evidence, Detective Sergeant Martin Glynn said police investigations revealed both Luke and Jasper had been well-provided for in terms of food and clean clothing, and that Jasper's death is not being treated as suspicious.

Mark Simione, a friend of Mr Allen's who was with the couple throughout the day, said the young mum had been "in and out" of her children's bedroom checking on them after they went to sleep.

"Everything was normal, she was just doing her job as a good mum," he said.

"They did everything they possibly could have done, that any parent would have done."

Reaching what he called a "factual conclusion", coroner Ian Goldup said: "Jasper was trapped by pillows across the side of his bed when he suffocated. I think it's best to leave it at that. There's no judgment in there. I really sympathise with your loss."

Miss Mcdonald said after the hearing, "I just want it to be known that Jasper was loved, and cared for, and he was my world."

There was no suggestion at the inquest that the delayed emergency call response played any part in Jasper's death. South East Coast Ambulance Service was not asked to attend the hearing.

A spokesman said: "As we were not involved in the inquest process we are unable to comment on the specific detail of the case.

"However, our thoughts are, of course, with the mother and all those involved in this tragic incident.

"With regards to our call answer performance, we have made significant improvements in this area thanks, in part, to improved recruitment and retention of staff in our emergency operations centres."