IDENTICAL twins from Godmanchester have steered their way through their driving tests, passing within 24 hours of each other. Hannah and Lauren Yaxley, 17, both passed their tests first time and, quite rightly, the older of the twins passed her driving te

IDENTICAL twins from Godmanchester have steered their way through their driving tests, passing within 24 hours of each other.

Hannah and Lauren Yaxley, 17, both passed their tests first time and, quite rightly, the older of the twins passed her driving test first.

However, along the way, they both made identical mistakes - leaving their driving instructor slightly spooked.

Lauren, born four minutes before her sister, sat her test last Tuesday at 8.20am and passed with four minors. The following day Hannah, who works as a hairdresser at Nero's in St Ives, also sat her test at 8.20am and passed with three minors.

Lauren, who works as a cleaner at Papworth Hospital, said: "It was a shock that we both passed first time, but such a relief otherwise it would have been awkward if one of us had failed and the other passed."

Hannah added: "It was really scary taking my test and I never imagined I would pass first time. I had the added pressure of knowing Lauren had already passed, and it would have been horrible if I had failed."

Their driving instructor Clive Evans, of Drive with Clive based in Godmanchester, said this was the first set of identical twins he had taught to drive in his two years as an instructor.

He added: "The girls were a delight to teach. They were good pupils, they always listened and were always pleasant and smiling."

He described the twins as being "spookily" similar and having the same mannerisms when it came to driving.

"On one of Hannah's first lessons, she went to change from second to third gear and accidentally pulled up the handbrake. A week later, Lauren did the same thing."

Both girls started taking driving lessons in January. Lauren had 30 lessons and Hannah had 29. They had both took their test in Cambridge and even had the same examiner.

Lauren added: "In most of our lessons we were doing the same things. On my first lesson, Clive would ask me to turn right, and I would go left. He told me that Hannah did the same thing."

The former Hinchingbrooke School pupils sat their theory tests on the same day but a week apart - both passed first time. The twins, who live in Peate Close, now each have N registration cars - Lauren has a Vauxhall Corsa and Hannah has a Ford Fiesta.