PARENTS of three autistic children are threatening to teach them at home if school places are not found for them in Worcester.

The three families have vowed to take action after being told their four and five-year-olds will have to travel to Redditch for schooling because places are not available for them in the city.

All three children, who are severely autistic, are pupils at Thornton House School in Wyld's Lane, but cannot continue there from September because specialist staff are not available.

Worcestershire County Council says the problem has been caused by a lack of funding - but the explanation has not been accepted by the three families.

They all say their children cannot cope with such a long journey and believe provision should be made for them in Worcester.

Mary Dhonau's son Peter has been at Thornton House for the past year, and she is refusing to let him make the long and traumatic 70-mile round journey to Redditch each day.

"I feel the only real option is to educate my child at home until this issue is resolved," she said.

"Thornton House is willing to teach them, they just don't have the funding or the staff to do it.

"I believe children who are disabled are being discriminated against."

Mother Zoey Carter, who is heavily pregnant, is also taking action after being told her son Jack has no school place for September.

"I cannot believe they are mucking around with people's lives like this," she said.

"When you have a 'normal' child it's easy to find schooling, so it just seems the children who need the help are the ones who are getting nothing.

"I want the money made available so they can stay in Worcester - it is only three children, after all."

Valerie Morton, whose son Rhys attends the school, has also condemned the decision and vowed to teach her son at home.

Worcester's MP, Mike Foster, has taken up the parents' cause and has written to Julien Kramer, the county's director of education.

Councillor June Longmuir, Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for education, said officers believed that sending the children to Redditch was the best way to meet their needs.

"I understand the parents' concerns on the issue, but when children have severe autism they need highly specialised support from trained staff," she said.

"If we were proposing to send them to Redditch, it is because our officers believe it is the best place to meet their needs, and our policy would be for them to be accompanied by an attendant at all times, and they would not travel alone, whether they be five or 15.

"If the parents are considering educating them at home, I would urge them to explore thoroughly with our officers the demands severely autistic children have and if it was the best option for those children."