SIXTY NINE children were stopped in Bolton town centre as part of a major truancy crackdown.

Education social work staff working with police officers stopped the young people last Friday in a bid to reduce truancy figures and street crime.

And 48 of the youngsters were accompanied by an adult and many were of primary school age.

One excuse given was buying new shoes and another youth, said they were off school due to a bad cold. A third youngster claimed that the dog had eaten their school shirt.

Information given about absences will be passed on to schools and future attendances will be closely monitored by the education social work service.

The initiative was the latest in a series of truancy sweeps carried out by education social work staff in Bolton.

The first was in May 2000 when 137 children were stopped.

Since then truancy sweeps have been carried out more frequently and there have been 25 sweeps in various locations around Bolton. The latest crackdown brings the total number of children stopped since May 2000 to more than 1,000.

Councillor Linda Thomas, Executive Member for Education said: "Children who skip school, even for a short period, are putting their own safety and welfare at risk.

"They are missing out on their education and risk leaving school with little to show for the time they have spent there.

"They may also be vulnerable to the temptations of crime or become easy targets as victims of crime."

She added: "Parents have a legal responsibility for ensuring that their children attend school regularly and that they arrive on time.

"If they allow their children to be absent without a good reason they are committing an offence which could result in prosecution."

Further truancy sweeps are planned for all areas of Bolton in the near future.