PIONEERING research at a North-East university could help parents of twin babies prevent cot death.

Researchers from the University of Durham's Stockton campus are using its sleep laboratory - one of only two in the country looking into infant sleep patterns - to discover whether twins sleep better together or apart.

The two-year study is being funded by the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death, which aims to find out how twins sleep best and safest.

The findings should help medical staff and parents understand the best way to put twins to sleep, to reduce the risk of death.

Dr Elaine Hooker, part of the research team, said: "At the moment there are no definite guidelines for parents of twins.

"A lot of doctors advise parents to sleep them separately, but sometimes they sleep much better together."

The research is looking at factors previously associated with cot death, such as high temperature and restricted breathing, to find out if sharing a cot increases the risk for twins.

Families taking part in the research have kept sleep logs for the first three months, recording what they observed about the babies' sleep patterns.

The final stage takes place within the university's sleep lab at the Teesside campus, when twins are studied to compare observations of how they sleep in the same cot with when they sleep on their own.

Families spend three nights in the lab, which is designed like a hotel room.

Dr Helen Ball, of the anthropology department, is leading the research in the lab, which monitors the babies' heart rate, breathing and temperature while an infra-red camera films the infants' movements.

Gemma Lawrence, from Billingham, mother of twins Millie and Joseph, who are taking part in the research, volunteered when she was pregnant.

She said: "The sleep lab is just like spending the night in a hotel. It's a nice break.

"I think this research is very important. Parents need to know what is the best thing to do.

"I would hate to think, in ten years time, we still didn't know the best way to sleep twins."

More than 40 families are still needed for the research. Anyone interested in taking part is asked to contact Emma Kitching, at the sleep lab, on (01642) 335367