THE devastated dad of two twin toddlers killed over Christmas has paid tribute to his “beautiful babies” as his wife is charged with their murders.

Steve Ford shared a heart-breaking tweet with a photo of the 23-month-old tots, Jake and Chloe, kissing after they died in the early hours of Thursday.

He wrote: “Daddy's twins xxx my beautiful babies. I love you”

His wife Samantha Ford, 37, has been charged with the murders of Jake and Chloe and broke down as she appeared in the dock today.

She spoke only to confirm her name, age and address when she appeared at Canterbury Magistrates’ Court in Kent this morning.

The 37-year-old appeared in the dock, flanked by two female security guards wearing a grey jumper.

The court was told she was charged with two counts of murder but no other details were given.

Samantha cried as the charges were read out during the brief hearing, which lasted just a couple of minutes.

She could be seen putting her hand to her right eye throughout the hearing.

No details of the case were read out and her children were not named during proceedings.

After she appeared she was told to have a seat and sat down.

There was no application for bail and she was remanded in custody to appear before Maidstone Crown Court on Monday where it is expected she will appear via video link.

The tots, who were looking forward to their second birthday, were found dying at the home they moved into with Samantha three weeks ago.

Her brother James Emptage, 27, fought back tears as he told The Sun: “It’s a terrible tragedy. I will pay tribute but not right now.”

Her grandmother Pamela Emptage, 80, said: “They were lovely. I mean they were not even two years old yet. It’s absolutely tragic.”

Samantha is believed to have moved into the rented house in Margate, Kent, a year after buying a home in Ashford with husband Steven.

Previously they lived in Doha, Qatar. It is not known if the couple, who wed five years ago, have split but Steven had recently posted several cryptic messages on Twitter.

On December 16 he wrote: “Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face . . .  My face hurts.”

And on November 16 he shared a snap of his local pub, captioning it: “Somewhere to breathe.”

On December 23 he posted a snap of Chloe, writing: “Snuggling with my fav girl #daughter #myworld #twins”.

Just three nights later, in the early hours of Thursday, the tragic tot and her brother were found by medics. Despite a fight to save them, they were pronounced dead in hospital.

Earlier that night, at 2.50am, their mum is thought to have crashed her Ford Galaxy on the A299 between Whitstable and Herne Bay, Kent. Police think it could have been deliberately rammed into a truck.

Samantha was taken to a different hospital with minor injuries before being detained.

She is due to appear before Canterbury JPs today.

Yesterday, forensic teams removed two pillows from the £210,000 semi-detached house while neighbours left tributes to the children outside.

One said: “They just seemed normal. It’s absolutely tragic.”

Another local resident said: “This is absolutely heartbreaking. To have two young lives gone so soon is terrible.”