TEENAGERS in Preston who skip school without permission are the focus of a new poster campaign.

The eye-catching posters have the no-nonsense message 'Bunking Off -- Missing Out' splashed across them and are targeted at older schoolchildren who play truant on a regular basis.

Eleven posters are expected to be put up in bus shelters across the Preston area this week and are aimed at pricking the consciences of young people who stay away from school.

The two-week campaign, funded by the county council, comes after two truancy sweeps in Preston by education welfare officers and police, on May 9, which found 65 pupils missing from school.

The county council's acting area education welfare officer, Mike Sunderland, said: "Young people can become the victims of crime if they're not in school or even become involved in criminal activities themselves."