Twin boys die in double tragedy for Renfrew family

Twin boys have died in their sleep in what has been described as a "double tragedy" for a family in Renfrew, near Glasgow.

It is thought that the mother of the six-week-old boys was lying asleep in bed with the twins beside her, when she awoke to find one of the boys had turned blue and stopped breathing. Calling for help, she tried to wake his brother, only to find that he had also died.

Police, who were called to the scene, said there was no suggestion of suspicious circumstances. The two infants have been taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley where post-mortem examinations are being carried out.

It is thought that the two boys were victims of cot death – a syndrome which is more common amongst twins and other multiple births due to a variety of factors, including low birthweight.

The tragedy follows a warning from a coronor about the dangers of falling asleep with a baby, after an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of a month-old baby in his mother's arms.

Joanne Hosker's son died last December when he suffered severe brain damage as he lay on his sleeping mother's shoulder following a 4am feed. The inquest heard that the infant's head had fallen into a position which caused the airway to become obstructed. The child was taken to hospital, but died five days later. The inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death.

(CL)