A WOMAN from Rawtenstall has given birth to a record-breaking set of twins.

Beth Ryder's new arrivals, Theo and Millie, are the country's heaviest mixed-sex twins, weighing a combined 18lb 12oz.

They were born last Thursday at Burnley General Hospital with Theo hitting the scales at 10lb 9oz, slightly heavier than his 8lb 3oz sister Millie.

The twins beat the previous record held by Thomas and Grace Houghton-Burnett, who weighed 10lb 1oz and 8lb 2oz when they were born in 2002.

They missed out on being Britain's heaviest twins by just 6oz - but are the largest to be born at Burnley General.

Mrs Ryder, 35, and her husband Steve, 32, of Mount Pleasant, suspected the twins might be big. They have four other children, Emma 17, Leah, eight, Lauren, five, and Callum, three, who all weighed more than 9lb 9oz.

Mrs Ryder herself weighed 11lb 13oz and her sister Claire was 12lb 2oz. The student nurse, whose weight dropped by almost two stones after the birth, said: "The doctors and nurses said they were going to be big, but not this big. I was shocked when I saw them both.

"There is no secret to it, I think it's just all genetic. Before giving birth I was massive. I couldn't even sleep and it was very uncomfortable. It is a big relief now."

A spokeswoman for Burnley General Hospital said Theo and Millie were the heaviest twins they had ever delivered.

Twins usually struggle to meet the average newborn weight of 7lb.