Parents who fail to make sure their children attend school could be hit with a £50 on-the-spot fine.

Worcestershire County Council's education welfare officers can now serve penalty notices in cases of repeated truancy.

The move has been made possible by new anti-social behaviour legislation that also allows the council, headteachers or police to serve a parenting order, forcing parents to attend classes to help them improve their child's behaviour.

Coun Andy Roberts, cabinet member for education, said: "Our preferred option when dealing with unauthorised absence, however, remains working with parents and pupils. Fines and prosecution are used only if this doesn't work."

Education Welfare Officers will now work with headteachers and police to draw up the protocols for administering the system.

Peter Buchanan, headteacher at Dyson Perrins CE High School, in Malvern, said anything that reduced truancy was a good thing.

"We do all that we can to ensure the levels of truancy are kept low and we have a very good attendance record," he said.

"Parents have a responsibility to ensure their children come to school and any parent who does not take the appropriate action if their child is repeatedly absent is really condoning truancy."