AN expectant mother is terrified at the prospect of having to give birth at home after Harwich maternity unit closed just weeks from her due date.

The unit at the Fryatt Hospital has been closed until further notice due to a desperate shortage of midwives in Colchester.

But now women face having to give birth 20 miles away in Colchester or opt for a home birth.

Louise Tovey, of Dovercourt, is due to give birth at the end of May.

She now faces an anxious wait to see if the unit will open again in time for her to deliver her fourth child.

β€œIt is a really bad area to be messing with. Every birth is different,” she said.