If Owen Skeffington grows up to show a lack of respect for authority, his parents can hardly complain that he didn't warn them.

A scan taken at 27 weeks clearly shows the infant raising two fingers to the camera.

Such was the hilarity at Royal Preston Hospital that the sonographer asked permission of his parents, Owen senior and Kelly, to put the picture on the wall.

The couple, from Ashton, Preston, who also have three-year-old twins girls, Niamh and Erin, said they couldn't decide whether baby Owen was being rude to them or simply showing how many sisters he has.

His father Owen, 34, joked: 'Luckily, he didn't come out sticking two fingers up!'

Owen's comical antics caused great hilarity at the hospital. The sonographer carrying out the scan even asked for the couple's permission to reproduce the image and put it on the wall for other patients to see.

Kelly has since given birth to Owen at Royal Preson Hospital.

According to popular legend, the rude V-sign was a gesture of defiance first used by English and Welsh archers during the 100 Years War against France.

The French apparently threatened to cut off the arrow-shooting fingers of the longbow men, so the archers would wave these two fingers to show they could still shoot.