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Birth centres greatly increase the dangers of birth injury, an NHS watchdog has said.

As many as twenty babies are dying every year because mothers choose to deliver their children in birth centres run by midwives rather than in hospital.

Babies born in these centres are twice as likely to die as those born in hospital, where there is speedier access to emergency treatment.

Draft guidance from the independent health watchdog, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), says that the deaths could be avoided if women gave

The guidance was submitted to the Department of Health in June 2006.

NICE's experts estimate that between one baby in every 1,000 and 5,000 will die needlessly because of the extra risk associated with the centres.

There are currently a hundred midwife-led birth centres in the UK.

Three per cent of all babies are born in midwife centres.

Many are in rural areas, leading to lengthy ambulance journeys in the event of problems.

In addition, there are no anaesthetists or obstetricians at birth centres and delays in having an emergency caesarean section, ventouse or forceps delivery mean that babies have a greater risk of dying in the womb.

The findings are based on a study of births in midwife-led units in Norway.

Normally, only one baby in 1,000 will die during labour, but in midwife-led units it was as high as two per 1,000. Taken nationally, this means that up to 20 extra babies in Britain could die each year because things go wrong in midwife-led birth centres.

Supporters of birth centres say they offer more homely care and, with concern over the rising rates of caesarean sections, help to reduce unnecessary medical interventions.

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