A little boy left severely disabled after being starved of oxygen during his birth at the Cumberland Infirmary has won millions in NHS compensation.

Lawyers for the lad, aged under 10, claimed there was a negligent delay in his delivery at the hospital, in Carlisle, resulting in catastrophic damage to his brain.

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS denied liability, but agreed to a settlement of the boy’s claim at London’s High Court.

Judge Geoffrey Tattersall QC said he will receive a £1,580,000 lump sum, plus annual, index-linked payments to cover his care costs for life.

Those payments will start at £80,000 a year, before rising to £120,000 a year on his 19th birthday, the court heard.

The judge praised the lad’s courage and sense of humour, describing him as “a lovely little boy.”

He suffers from severe mobility and learning difficulties, as well as epilepsy, and cannot speak, the court heard.

Approving the settlement, the judge said he was “humbled” by the care lavished on the boy by his parents.

“He is by all accounts a lovely little boy, who is very fortunate to have parents who really have stepped up to the plate.

“They really are to be commended for everything that they have done for this young lad”, the judge added.

Margaret Bowron QC, for the NHS trust, said: “Their love for their child really does shine through.

“He has had a tough start to life, but his parents are lucky to have him and he is lucky to have them.

“He is a splendid young man who makes the very best of what life has thrown at him.”

Giving the trust’s best wishes to the family, the QC added: “We hope that he leads a happy and fulfilled life.”

The trust agreed to settle the case on the basis of 50 per cent of the full value of the boy’s claim.

The child cannot be named for legal reasons.