PLENTY of boys and girls subsidise their spending money by working part-time, but how many youngsters are working in unsuitable locations, with dangerous equipment and missing out on their education? asks Jane Bullock

Thousands of children are believed to be working illegally all over the country, but instead of Fagin-type characters employing vulnerable young souls, many of the children working in places where they shouldn't be -- such as on milk rounds, in chip shops or on market stalls -- are helping out family businesses.

Bolton's education social work department is responsible for making sure all children who are working have been registered to do so.

The department receives between 15 and 20 applications for employment licences every week, both from employers and parents. Staff believe the figure could be rising as employers wise up to "compensation culture" and fear they could be sued if something goes wrong and a child has an accident.

The education social work team act on tip-offs from the public and can find themselves looking around Bolton markets searching for under-age workers, or staking out newsagents from 5am if someone thinks a paper boy is starting deliveries before 7am, which is illegal.

They also look at safety issues and visit premises if they think a child is working with dangerous machinery.

Their current campaign is to try to persuade paper boys and girls to wear something luminous on their rounds after being horrified at seeing youngsters set off on bikes in dark clothing on dark mornings.

When employers are found to be breaking the law they often plead ignorance -- but guidelines could not be clearer.

A child has to be 13 years old before being employed -- apart from acting or modelling. They cannot work during school hours, can only be employed to do light work which does not include washing dishes, cannot work in pubs, on milk rounds or near hot fat. Any employer guilty of ignoring the rules could find themselves facing a £1,000 fine.

Budding Claudia Schiffers still have to brush up on their mathematics as much as their make-up as child models have to apply for special six month-only licences.

Details of every job they accept must be faxed to the education social work team and their school has to approve any time off, which can mean a "no" if they have a poor attendance record.

Cllr Linda Thomas, Bolton's executive member for education, says: "The local education authority recognises the benefits that children can gain from working, but such work needs to be licensed to protect their safety."

A spokesman from the education social work department adds: "People tend to be shocked at all the things children are not allowed to do in the workplace.

"We're not trying to be peevish by making sure kids have employment licences, or visiting newsagents to make sure the paper boys and girls aren't setting off before 7am. We are just interested in the safety of the children.

"Parents need to take responsibility for their children instead of leaving it up to us. We couldn't believe that kids were leaving newsagents in dark clothes in the winter."

Ashley Hurst has been entertaining dance music fans for two years since becoming a DJ on the club circuit of kiddie rave clubs.

But the 13-year-old Thornleigh Salesian College pupil is never likely to fall behind with his homework or get exploited, thanks to mum Sonia Hurst who keeps a watchful eye on her son's blossoming career.

Despite receiving countless offers for Ashley to play sets at adult clubs in the North-west, his mother will only allow him to DJ for his contemporaries, which means he finishes work at 10pm on the dot.

He has played for adult audiences in Vancouver, Canada, but Sonia restricts these performances to school holidays only.

When Ashley started to be paid for his DJ work, Sonia applied for an employment licence for him. When he played in Canada, she was granted a licence by the Canadian authorities.

He will be playing gigs in South Korea during the schools holidays next Easter.

The mother-of-three, from Great Lever, said: "It's important for me to do everything by the book.

"Ashley is a typical lad, he loves his DJing and so I have to put my foot down occasionally. But as he's getting older I think he appreciates how important his education is. We could be accepting a lot more gigs because there's so many offers -- but his school work always comes first.

"For any parents who have children wanting to work, I suggest they do it properly. If something comes out of it career-wise, then that's great. But if it doesn't, they still need something to fall back on."