It's One hundred and eighty for King's Lynn twins

Identical twins Brian and Tony Thompson were born in Lynn only 10 minutes apart and on Sunday celebrated their 90th birthday.

The party took place in the Sandboy pub in Bawsey surrounded by friends and family.

At the event there was a cake which said the twins were "aged to perfection".

There was a picture board showing photographs from their life which began when they were born two months prematurely, each weighing 3lb 4 z. To this day, they can’t be sure which was born first.

They are the youngest of six children born to their parents, Bill and Flo, and their remaining siblings are alive. John is aged 93, Bernard 91, and Betty, 92, the only girl, lives in Australia.

The twins would get up to scrapes from a young age and on one occasion when Brian was working for Wagg and Jex, builders, they were digging a trench close by the churchyard to St. Nicholas Church, when he dug up some skeleton remains, including a human skull.

Brian was badly in need of a haircut at the time, but knowing that the foreman, Bill Smith, would not give him time off to go and get one, Brian positioned the skull on the top of a mound of earth beside the trench and put his hard-hat on the skull and slipped away to go and have the haircut.

Brian was rumbled when Bill Smith noticed that Brian hadn’t moved in over an hour. Brian managed to keep his job, because Bill was laughing so much when he tried to tell him off.

At one stage, Brian and Tony shared a girlfriend, that is when Brian had finished with her, Tony went out with her afterwards.

Mark, Brian's son said: "The twins have always had a close, telepathic bond with each other, and each has had an inherent understanding of their other twin brother’s emotional state.

"Tony has three children, all girls, Stephanie, Elaine and Vanessa, six grandchildren, Jordan, Jason, Aidan, Casey, Lydia and Bradley, and a great grandson.

"Brian married Norma in 1958 and they had two sons, myself and Alan.

"He has two grandchildren, Robbyne and Jake, and his first great-grandchild is due next year."

"Both Tony and Brian were members of the local wildfowl association and were aware that the pond beside the Gaywood Hall was in a terribly dilapidated state.

"They approached the owners to ask if they could be allowed to indulge their hobby at the pond and the owners agreed.

"Over the ensuing months and years, they cleaned out the pond, erected fencing most of the way round and reared ducks on the pond.

"Mallard and other fauna, such as frogs, newts and voles soon discovered the wildlife haven.

"It was a very popular place for locals to bring their children to feed the ducks.

"The twins are so alike that over the years, many people, including at times close family, have struggled to tell them apart."