VISITORS to a primary school in Little Lever could be forgiven for thinking they are seeing double.

Because the chances are they probably are!

Among the 300 children at Mytham School, are an astonishing seven sets of twins.

The number isn't quite a record-breaker - that honour belongs to a school in Caithness, Scotland, with ten sets of twins - but it is certainly believed to be among the highest in the region.

Headteacher Alison Chadderton said: "On a school roll of more than 300 children I did expect some twins, but I am quite surprised at the number we have. It is quite unusual to have two sets in one year.

"We also had triplets in the school at one point, but that was before I started."

The chance of woman giving birth to twins has increased in recent years and now stands at around 33-1 - an increase of 60 per cent since the early 90s.

The most recent statistics, part of a 2001 study by the National Centre for Health Statistics show that twins represented 30.1 of every 1,000 births in the UK.

But the chances of seven or more sets being in one school still remain remote.

Mrs Chadderton said teachers at her school are keen to promote each twin's individuality.

"We try and split them up into different classes. The school's aim is to meet every child's individual needs. With two classes in each year we can place the twins in separate classes."

"Because I am not with the twins all the time, it is difficult to tell some of them apart, but their teachers know them."

The twins in the youngest year are Megan and Olivia Ramsell who are five, and the oldest set are Hannah and Lucy Westwood who are ten.

Megan, who is in reception, said: "I like being a twin."

Her sister added: "We are best friends and it is nice. Sometimes our teacher gets us mixed up, which is funny."

Hannah and Lucy's sisters Sally and Holly, aged 19, are also twins.

Hannah said: "We have had fun being a twin at school. Sometimes when we have been at school the teachers have got us confused and we let them believe it.

"We have done a sister swap."

Lucy said that as they got older they developed their individuality.

"Some things we like are the same and some different, but we are best friends most of the time. I am quite surprised how many twins there are in school."

The other twins are Kane and Kylan Goulding, aged four, in reception; Damica and Troy Taylor, aged six in year one; Jessica and Sophie Whitehead, aged six, in year two; Megan and Shannon Holland, aged six, in year two; and Tiffanie and Joshua Robinson, aged ten, in year five.