FIFTY-FIVE school pupils were stopped in Leigh town centre during a truancy sweep on Tuesday.

Education welfare officers and police officers took to the town centre streets to search for youngsters who should have been in school.

Twenty-four of the children stopped were with their parents and 32 children had no valid reason for being absent from school.

One truancy patrol team -- Education welfare officer Karen Atherton and PC Steve Gaskell, stopped half a dozen children in a one hour period and asked them why they were not in school.

Excuses given by children ranged from oversleeping through to being "off ill with the 'flu". Two boys claimed they were going on their dinner hour -- at 10am.

Another teenager said he was going to draw some money out of the bank for his mother -- despite being ill with the 'flu.

The absentees were taken to the town hall where their stories were checked. Those who should have been in school were taken there by education welfare officers.

The children caught playing truant by Miss Atherton and PC Gaskell were all unaccompanied by parents.

A spokesman for Positive Futures, said: "Unfortunately we were not surprised we stopped so many children. The truancy sweep took place this month to give education welfare officers time to work with children caught playing truant -- and address the problem early on."

Another crackdown is planned for later this year.