FOR a family in Ipswich winning the lottery seems easy after an amazing coincidence made twin sisters proud mums within hours. Born within five minutes 29 years ago identical twins Caroline Hall and Charlotte Greenslade gave birth on Saturday to daughters Josie and Carly But the happy coincidence doesn't end there.

FOR a family in Ipswich winning the lottery seems easy after an amazing coincidence made twin sisters proud mums within hours.

Born within five minutes 29 years ago identical twins Caroline Hall and Charlotte Greenslade gave birth on Saturday to daughters Josie and Carly

But the happy coincidence doesn't end there.

The baby girls, born within four hours of each other at Ipswich Hospital, both measured 48 centimetres long, both were born with a hand on their cheek, they look alike, and both weighed almost exactly the same.

For delighted grandmother Rita Southgate, 65, of Downing Close, it felt like all her birthdays had come at once.

She said: "My daughters are so considerate. I never expected to become a grandmother twice in the same day. It is a lovely coincidence.

"It's just like having the girls back as babies. There will be lots of joint parties and I only have to remember one birthday for them.

"It is double the trouble. The more I think about it the weirder it becomes."

For Rita the birth of her granddaughters brought back memories when she gave birth.

She said: "It was horrendous when my daughters were born. We weren't expecting twins.

"They were three months early weighed two pounds and had to be baptised within 15 minutes of their birth.

"The doctors did not think they would live. It was very traumatic."

But the girls did live.

Rita said: "On Saturday it was so exciting, we were looking after our grandson Josh when we got a call from Charlotte to say she had had a baby girl, three hours later we got another call but this time from Caroline."

Rita added: "It is a miracle really."

Proud mum Caroline, who works as a mortgage administrator, took up the story.

She said: "It was a shock, I already knew Charlotte had gone into labour and I was anxious for her.

"At 11.15pm on Friday my waters broke and we went to hospital. I was on Brook Ward and Charlotte was on Orwell Ward.

"At 1.30am I was told I had a niece. The midwife said I had 24 hours if I wanted to have my baby on the same day."

Charlotte, an administrative officer at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court, said she heard during labour that her sister had been brought in.

She said: "It helped in a way. All through the pregnancy I had said it would be nice to go in together. After wards we were put on the same ward."

Dad Gary, 35, married to Charlotte, said he heard his sister-in-law had gone into labour at about 12.30am.

Gary, a motorcycle mechanic, said: "It is unbelievable. My first thought was they would be born on the same day. It makes winning the lottery seem easy."

For 30-year-old builder Jamie, married to Caroline, joked that the coincidence meant his parents-in-law saved on car parking.

He said: "They only had to pay once to visit both babies."

He added: "It was strange but as long as they are all ok I am happy."

But it was grandfather Ken, 68, who had the final word.

He said: "Without a doubt we are delighted. We haven't yet wet the babies' heads but we will, we all like a drink. It was such a shock it is only just sinking in."

TWINS FACT FILE

Caroline Hall Charlotte Greenslade

Age 29 29

Married to: Jamie Gary

Gave Birth to: Josie Jean Hall Carly Laura Greenslade

Date: September 25 September 25

Time: 4.34am 1.16am

Place: Ipswich Hospital Ipswich Hospital

Weight: 7lbs 1oz 7lb

Length: 48 centimetres 48 centimetres

Date due: October 4-nine days early October 11-16 days early

N WHAT are the odds of twin sisters giving birth to daughters on the same day?

The Evening Star asked Ipswich based Krullind Bookmakers for a price but found the odds were so unlikely that even a bookmaker would be reluctant to take a bet.

Manager Paul Jenkins said no bookmaker would take a bet on the real odds.

He said: "It would thousands and thousands to one, it depends if this sort of thing has happened before.

"A bookmaker might take a tenner on a thousand to one but isn't going to put up ten million on a ten pound bet at a million to one."

Mr Jenkins added: "I haven't got a clue what the accurate odds would be, it's so incredible."