The Whittington Hospital was struggling to cope with a baby boom.

“Rattled” health chiefs had faced 900 more new births in the previous year, 1987.

And the Islington Health Authority warned: “Currently bookings show no abatement in this trend.”

In other news, a minicab driver was stabbed in the neck and murdered.

The 30-year-old was attacked during a row over a fare in Holloway Road.

The man, who lived in Archway’s Girdlestone Estate, was taken to the Whittington Hospital – where his wife was a nurse – but died two days later.

His workmates announced a £1,000 reward for information that would lead to the killer’s conviction.

Detectives said it was “vicious and unpremeditated”.

Meanwhile, Islington EastEnders star Susan Tully delighted young fans, including six-year-old Elizabeth Samway, on a visit to Hayward Adventure Playground in Market Road.