A mother has been awarded a five-figure payout after doctors performed a caesarean on her - without any painkillers.

The expectant mother described feeling "excruciating pain" as the surgeon began slicing her open.

It was only then that she was given proper pain relief and her baby was finally delivered safely at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich in 2013.

She later received £27,000 after Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust admitted failing to give her proper anaesthetic.

The patient's solicitor Patricia Wakeford said her client had been left traumatised by the ordeal.

She added: "Understandably, my client found the experience of her first child's delivery to be extremely distressing.

"She has since suffered from frequent nightmares, severe anxiety and depressive symptoms which led to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder."

A spokesperson of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, said: "We cannot comment on the details of this incident as it occurred before Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust was formed in October 2013.

"Although, we offer our sympathies to the person involved and are pleased that a settlement has been reached."