BABY Lennox Nicholson's fight for life took an important step forward last night.

Two days ago, he underwent a liver transplant operation to save his life.

Officials at St James University Hospital, in Leeds, said they were expecting to move the baby out of intensive care last night and on to a children's ward.

A hospital spokeswoman said: "Lennox is stable and his condition is improving."

The signs of progress will delight Lennox's parents, Simon Nicholson, 21, and Amy Robinson, 20, from Guisborough, east Cleveland.

When their son was born at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital on June 21, everything appeared to be normal.

But within weeks, Lennox developed severe jaundice and chronic liver problems were diagnosed.

Specialists decided the situation was so serious that only a liver transplant could save the child.

Last week, the couple made a plea for more people to join the national organ donor register in an attempt to make a transplant more likely.

On Tuesday their hopes were raised when a donated liver became available.

The ten-hour operation involved three teams of surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and technicians in adjoining operating theatres.

One team divided the donated liver to provide two viable organs and the other teams transplanted the donated tissue into Lennox and an unnamed woman.

If Lennox is transferred to a children's ward, he will still need round-the-clock nursing.