A woman is in a coma and her premature twin baby girls have died in the UK after paramedics were prevented from getting into a block of flats in Birmingham.

Jocelyn Bennett (27) was 32 weeks pregnant and dialled 999 after suffering severe stomach pains.

A paramedic arrived at Pleck House flats in Druids Heath along with two ambulance crews, but Ms Bennett was in such agony she was unable to buzz them into the building.

The crews tried the buzzers of all the other residents in the block, but they reportedly mistook them for police officers and refused to open the door.

It was only after police arrived, some 31 minutes after the first 999 call, that paramedics were able to get into the flat and begin treatment.

The two babies, Melody and Rose, had their life support machines switched off on Tuesday after a decision by their family.

Ms Bennett remains in a coma in hospital and is unaware of what has happened, her family told the Birmingham Mail. Her partner Kevin Clarke (31) was not at home at the time.

She had suffered a placental abruption, resulting in the premature delivery of Melody. Rose was delivered by emergency caesarean in hospital.

Both babies suffered multiple organ failure and had been on life support since the incident last Wednesday. Ms Bennett suffered a cardiac arrest and severe blood loss.

'If residents see flashing blue lights, they don't answer'

Her father, Joe Bennett, told the Birmingham Mail: "They looked so perfect and when the ventilators were taken off their tiny bodies, I expected them to start moving."

"The vicar performed a lovely service and then the girls were held by Kevin for the last time. We left him with the twins so he could spend time with them on his own."

Mr Bennett said his daughter may have suffered brain damage after her heart stopped. He also said that a previous police raid on the block meant residents there refused to answer their buzzers.

He told The Times: "If any residents see flashing blue lights they don't answer their calls because they fear it'll be another raid. No one answered their buzzers when the paramedics tried them."

Birmingham City Council (BCC), which owns the flats, said it had a system which allowed for emergency services access, and said an "urgent investigation" is now underway.

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "Crews had difficulty getting into the building.

"They tried to contact all of the other flats within the block, all with no answer."

A spokesman for BCC said: "Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time. We have systems to provide emergency access to our blocks for the emergency services and an urgent investigation was commissioned as soon as we were made aware of the matter."

"The ongoing investigation will involve all other agencies concerned."