A RECORD number of truants were found on the streets of Burnley and Padiham this week.

And now parents are being warned they face court action if they fail to ensure their children go to school.

The warnings follow a truancy sweep, where a record number of children were stopped out of school.

Police and education welfare officers found 82 youngsters absent from school.

Some 14 were absent with authorisation, such as for sickness or another valid reason, 64 were unauthorised absences, and the cases of four youths are still being looked into.

The youths were found either on their own, or with parents, in Burnley Wood, the town centre, Bank Hall, and Padiham.

Police said the majority were local youths, but some were from as far afield as Great Harwood, Accrington, and Rossendale.

They were from 17 schools, both primary and secondary.

Follow-up action will now be taken, which could include a warning letter to parents.

If absences persist, home visits can be carried out, and ultimately the parents can be taken to court.

Burnley Youth Involvement Officer PC George Holding said: "As truancy sweeps go, this is one of the most disappointing in terms of the number of youths stopped.

"Never before have we found so many young people absent from school on one day.

"The reason for that is probably that it is the last week before the Easter holidays and parents get a bit more lax in the run-up to the end of term, and it was also a nice day so there were more youngsters out and about."

"Unauthorised absence is not acceptable. Education welfare will now be looking at each individual case and taking appropriate action.

"If any of the youths are repeatedly missing school, then prosecutions for their parents could ultimately follow.

"I would urge both pupils and parents to make sure that schooling is a top priority and warn them that anyone playing truant will be caught, and both they and their parents made to face the consequences."