A regional daily photographer was able to bring his premature twin boys home in time for Christmas after they spent months in hospital.

Steve Leath, a photographer for the Express and Star, became a dad on 24 August when twins Oliver and Charlie were born three months premature after his wife Joanne went into labour early.

The babies both weighed only 2lb 8oz and had to go through months of treatment at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.

Charlie was allowed home from hospital a month ago and Oliver, who suffers from a heart condition, was discharged two weeks ago, meaning they could all spend Christmas together at home.

Joanne and Steve Leath brought baby twins Oliver and Charlie home for Christmas.

Steve said: “It’s superb. With Oliver needing an operation we thought we would be going to visit him at New Cross on Christmas Day.

“We are very grateful for everything the staff have done for us, they’ve been fantastic.”

Oliver, who struggles with his breathing will need an operation to close a duct in his heart at Birmingham Children’s Hospital in the coming weeks.

The twins were conceived after the couple spent six years trying and had two courses of IVF.

But Joanne started having contractions just 28 weeks into the pregnancy and she had a caesarean at New Cross Hospital.

Charlie started crying as soon as he was born but Oliver had stopped breathing and was taken straight to intensive care.

The Express and Star’s story about the twins can be read here.