Triplets Hannah, Laura and Claire Lennox only relaxed and smiled once they were sure all three had the A-level and BTech grades they needed for their future.

The trio were not the first Lennox sisters to study at North Walsham's Paston Sixth-Form College - their twin older siblings Emma and Katie, now 20, were also students there.

But the triplets' joy at their exam success was tinged with sadness at the prospect of splitting up and going their different ways next month, for the first time in their lives.

The girls, who celebrated their 18th birthdays earlier this month, attended the same infant, junior and high schools in their home town of Cromer before moving up to Paston.

Now, however, Laura will be off to Bath to study fashion, Claire is heading for Nottingham University to read psychology and Hannah plans to take an adult nursing degree at UEA.

'It's really sad - and a bit weird. We've always been together. We're very close,' said Claire, who gained an A* in A-level psychology, A in sociology, A in English and B in drama and theatre studies.

She had been on the internet 'tracker' system this morning where she discovered that she had been accepted at Nottingham.

But Claire said she soon stifled her scream of delight when she realised that the other two triplets did not yet know how they had fared.

Hannah added: 'We're all very supportive of each other. If one of us had done badly, the other two would have cried with them and tried to make them feel better.

'We've all got different groups of friends, but we're all friends with each other's friends as well.'

Laura was thrilled with her triple distinction in BTech art and design and Hannah's A-level B in geography and Cs in health and social care, and psychology, means that she can now take up nursing, following in her parents' medical footsteps.

The five sisters' mum Viv, a governor at Paston and chairman of governors at Cromer's Suffield Park Infant and Nursery School, is a qualified doctor and dad Alasdair is a GP with Cromer Group Practice.

Dr Viv Lennox said she and her husband were very proud of their brood. 'It's a huge relief that they've all got to where they wanted to go,' she added.

'They've been a nice bunch. We've got away with it pretty lightly really - they don't argue.

Dr Lennox said next month would be a watershed in their family life as the triplets all left together, after years of a very busy home full of girls.

Emma is at Oxford Brookes University, studying English, while Katie is at Sheffield University, doing geography.

Dr Lennox added: 'I think we'll be doing a lot of visiting to different places in future.'