TWICKENHAM triplets travelled with their parents to Downing Street last weekend to deliver a message to Tony Blair.

Six-month-old James, Rosie and Emma Bunn accompanied their parents Jon and Liz as part of a bid to close a loophole in the tax credit system which means parents of twins, triplets or more are losing out on hundreds of pounds.

The national charity Tamba (The Twins and Multiple Births Association) teamed up with the website www.twinsclub.co.uk to highlight a fundamental inequality' in the system.

A group of children and parents delivered a 5,000-plus signature petition to Downing Street joined by Guildford MP Sue Doughty who tabled an Early Day Motion on the issue.

Tamba director, Helen Forbes explained: "The Child Tax Credit is made up of three elements; the family element of £545, an amount payable per child dependent on household income, and an additional £545 baby element payable for the first year.

"This baby element is only payable for one baby at a time."

She concluded: "This is wholly unfair.

"Families with twins, as opposed to two children born say 18 months apart, are missing out on £545 and families with triplets or more are being short-changed by over £1,000."

Liz added: "Having triplets brings additional emotional, practical and above all financial pressures and this is the latest blow from a government that does not recognise the extra costs having a multiple birth family brings."