THE number of fines handed out to parents by Bury Council for children missing school has almost doubled in the past two years.

Figures obtained by the Bury Times show that 1,090 penalty notices were given out by the council during the 2014/15 school year for unauthorised pupil absence, either through truancy or being taken out of school for holidays.

That number compares to 885 in 2013/14 and just 644 in 2012/13.

Penalties can also be issued for persistent late arrivals at school.

The fine is £60 if paid within 21 days, increasing to £120 if paid within 28 days from the date of issue.

The rise comes in the wake of a Government crackdown on absences, including strict new rules on term time holidays introduced in England two years ago.

Cllr Paddy Heneghan, cabinet member for children, families and culture, said: "Since the Government introduced the regulations regarding taking children out of school in term time, schools and local authorities have had very limited discretion on the issue of giving permission or imposing fines.

"While we sympathise with parents who face much higher holiday costs during the long summer break, Bury Council believes that education is vitally important and that no school time should be missed without a good reason. We therefore strongly encourage all parents not to take their children out of school during term time."

Peter Hudson, headteacher of Chesham Primary School, said: "The problem comes when certain families persistently take their children out during term time year after year. It has never been a big problem at our school but you do still find some parents who have abused the system for no good reason.

"Equally, there are other families who are now being unfairly punished by this new legislation when they have legitimate reasons for their children missing school.

"There are 13 weeks of school holiday a year and that should be sufficient in most cases."

He added: "It's a very, very difficult area in my opinion. The biggest problem is really the holiday companies, which charge ridiculous amounts during the holiday times. They are taking advantage of the situation.

"Unfortunately, that encourages parents not to tell the truth about why their child is off and undermines the relationship between schools and families."