The highest rate of Caesarean births in the UK is carried out at a Belfast hospital, a survey has revealed.

The Royal Jubilee maternity unit was top of the list following the survey which was carried out for the Times Newspaper by the medical research organisation called Dr Foster.

It found 32% of babies - or nearly a third - were born by Caesarean section.

The hospital said the reason behind the statistic was that as it is a specialist regional maternity unit, they deal with many more women with complications than other maternity units.

The hospital said many women chose ceasareans

Northern Ireland has long had one of the highest rates for Caesarean sections in the UK.

However, in the latest research, the Royal is compared not just to other hospitals in Northern Ireland - but to other regional speciality units elsewhere in the UK as well.

No-one from the Royal was available to be interviewed but in a statement the hospital said some sections were carried out at the woman's request.

The survey also found the Mid-Ulster Hospital in Magherafelt, County Londonderry, has the lowest rate of Caesareans in the province at 13%.

The Mid-Ulster unit is ear-marked for closure.