A mum-of-five young children was arrested and spent a night in police custody after failing to turn up to court over ‘unpaid school fines’.

The mum said the arrest relates to outstanding fines for three children who were marked absent by the school.

Lancashire police confirmed they had carried out an arrest warrant issued by a magistrates court for the 32-year-old at an address in Carleton Street, Nelson on Monday 22 July.

The woman has not been charged for any offence and appeared in Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Lancashire County Council said they were unable to comment on the case at this time.

The mum said: “I was shocked and I think it is disgusting that this can happen.

“I am not a criminal and I should be treated like one. I am trying to raise my kids. But it is not easy.

“They are all young children.

“The father lives separately in Colne.”

The mum said the fines relate to three absences from a primary school.

She said: “On that day in question I did get to the school by around 10am but they mark them as absent even though they were in school.

“The school have not been supportive at all and, as a mum, I am trying my very best.

“They know my situation. We have one child who has special needs and if anything changes his routine then it is difficult for me to manage. My attention is on him.

“Then I am having to also take care of the baby and I will get delayed on days. Any mum knows how it can be.”

She said on the day of her arrest, the police walked into her property at around 10.30am and said they had a warrant for her arrest.

She said: “I did not attend the court date as I was unable to again as I have to take care of the children. The father of the children went but I learned this would not do.

“I later went to the local police station myself and got told there was no warrant for my arrest and came back home.”

Her aunt said she was ‘horrified’ that a mother could be taken away from her children in this way.

She said: “She had not willingly kept children off school. She is just trying her best. She is a really good mother.

“As any parent knows things do not always go to plan when you are raising children. It is not easy and she does struggle to get by.

“People need to be aware that this is taking place and people are being arrested over fines which they are unable to pay.

“The police waited for the children’s father and he lives in Colne and then took her away in front of the children.

“Police later informed me that she was safe.

“A police officer is there to uphold criminal law. How is this a criminal offence?

“This comes under civil law and officers should not be used to implement laws such as this.”

A police spokesperson said: “On 22 July we arrested a 32-year-old woman on a warrant issued by Blackburn Magistrates Court on 19 June.

“She was detained to appear before the court on 23 July.”