A BOY left severely disabled after complications during his birth at a Swindon hospital will receive £10.5m in NHS compensation over his lifetime.

Now aged 17, his lawyers said he was starved of oxygen when his delivery, by caesarean section, was delayed at the Princess Margaret Hospital in 2000.

He suffered severe brain damage and, as a result, has serious disabilities and needs round the clock care, London's High Court heard.

PMH closed in 2002 and, through his father, the teenager sued what is now the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, claiming the delays in his delivery which led to his condition were caused by negligence.

Without admitting liability, the trust today agreed to a settlement of the case, whereby the boy will receive 85 per cent of the full value of his claim.

On top of a £4.4m lump sum, the teenager will receive index-linked and tax-free payments to cover the costs of his care for life.

They will start at £200,000-a-year and will increase to £230,000-a-year after his 19th birthday.

Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Foskett said it will "go a very long way" to providing for his care needs throughout his life.

Addressing the boy's father, the judge added: "May I just say, the care he has received has been quite astounding."