THE numbers of parents being taken to court over their children skipping school is rising, with thousands facing action last year.

Lancashire County Council issued the most fines nationally to parents taking their children out of school during term time, a survey has found.

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The number of parents issued fines in the County Hall area rose 176 per cent from 1,125 in 20012/13 to 3,106 in 2013/14.

The second highest number were issued in Kent, 2,973, where the figure rose by three per cent.

Not all authorities provided data and some recorded the statistics in different ways.

The number of persistent absences from schools in Blackburn with Darwen dropped from 997 to 685 over the same period.

Linda Clegg, director of children’s services at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “It is pleasing to note that our unauthorised absence and persistent absence rates across both primary and secondary school sectors are for the most part lower than, or on a par with, the latest national and regional averages.

“Blackburn with Darwen is also continuing to perform better than comparator authorities.

“However, we recognise that there is still more to do as attendance remains a priority for the authority and we will continue to work with our primary schools in particular to improve their overall absence rates.”

The figures also show the number of people handed jail time nationally more than doubled, with 18 given custodial sentences in 2014, up from seven.

The hikes come after a crackdown on children missing school, including strict new rules on term-time holidays introduced two years ago. Parents who take children out of school without permission can face a £60 fine per child, rising to £120 if it is not paid within 21 days.

Those who fail to pay may be prosecuted, with a maximum fine of £2,500 or a jail sentence of up to three months.

David Simmonds, of the Local Government Association, believes the rise can be accounted for by tighter enforcement by schools to meet targets.