A POLICE sweep for truants in an East Lancashire town centre found several working hard on the market rather than in school.

The operation has been hailed an "outstanding success" by Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, a former truancy officer.

But the police were shocked both by the number of children bunking off class who were with their parents and by the fact that a significant number were working on stalls on Accrington market.

The sweep was the first conducted in East Lancashire since Home Secretary Jack Straw made tackling truancy a top priority.

This followed the success of a similar operation this year in his Blackburn constituency.

Over two days police spent six hours in Accrington finding a total of 38 lone children on the streets of whom 12 were found to be truants aged 11 to 15.

Police also found 105 parents with school age children and many of parents did not realise it was illegal to keep children off school. However, police were most surprised to find that a number of children were working on market stalls when they should have been at school. The problem is now being addressed by the town centre manager in liaison with the market superintendent.

Police also apprehended five truants with criminal records and said this proved Mr Straw's claim that there was a clear link between truancy and crime and disorder through the day.

Some truants were clearly victims of their family circumstances, including one who had to look after her alcoholic mother and one who was bullied at school.

During the operation the level of crime in Accrington town centre fell, and now police and education staff are to work to tackle the problem and remind parents of their responsibilities.

The police were concerned that one of the truants was returned to the school in the morning of the first day of the operation and arrested for shoplifting in the town centre in the afternoon. The police said: "In this case, it would appear that nothing was done to prevent the child, known to the school that morning as a truant and a criminal, from absconding and re-offending during the school day.

"The inability of some schools to control wayward pupils compromises a truancy exercise." Police said schools have a right to keep truants on school premises and that pupils who were hurt while bunking off could sue the education authority.

Mr Pope said: "This was an outstanding success. The findings make fascinating reading. "Police found 105 parents in the town centre with school age children. I understand that, in general, parents and guardians were supportive of the operation.

"One surprising fact which was brought to light by this operation was that a number of children who should have been at school were found to be working on market stalls.

"The police found that there was a reduction in the rate of crime in Accrington town centre on the two days of the exercise. This has been an extremely successful operation which I support wholeheartedly."

Traders surprised by report

MARKET traders in Accrington say they are surprised at a report which found truants in the area were working on the market. Police and education welfare officers highlighted the market as a place where truants were found -- but both traders and the market superintendent claim to have seen no evidence of this.

Denise Hatton said after two weeks of monitoring, market officials had not found any schoolchildren working on stalls.

She said: "We have concentrated on finding any schoolchildren working during school hours.

"If a stall is found to be using children, we will speak to the owner. If they are unco-operative and repeatedly use children we will remove their stall."

Mary Shuttleworth who runs Lambert's Bakery said: "If stallholders are found to be employing schoolchildren then they should be warned and if they keep doing it they should be fined.

"But I have never seen schoolchildren working on stalls during the day."

Schools in Accrington have praised the scheme and said it should be extended. Joan Hayselden is acting headteacher at Moorhead High School which had one pupil caught in the sweep.

She said: "Truancy is a problem the whole of the community should look at and many pupils that play truant do not go to the town centre, they go to friends' houses or stay at home."