The black and white twins born to mixed race parents

Lucy and Maria Aylmer Credit: Gary Roberts Photography

Twin sisters, one of which was born white, the other black, have revealed they have had to produce their birth certificates to friends in order to prove that they are in fact related.

Due to a quirk of their mixed-race parentage, one has straight ginger hair, a fair complexion and blue eyes. The other has far darker skin and her eyes are brown.

Lucy and Maria Aylmer from Gloucester say when they walk down the street they are mistaken for being just friends.

But amazingly they are twins - even though Lucy is white and Maria is black.

Lucy studies art and design at Gloucester College whilst Maria studies Law and Psychology at Cheltenham College.

The twins have three older siblings, George, 23, Chynna, 22, and Jordan, 21, who all have a mixed race skin colour.

The family pictured together when the girls were much younger Credit: Gary Roberts Photography

The twins were born in January 1997 after Miss Douglas gave birth naturally. She was shocked when she was handed the twins as nothing had shown up on the scans.

The twin's mother was shocked when they were born as nothing had shown up on the scans Credit: Gary Roberts Photography