PARENTS of 61 children suspended from school for defying a ban on throwing snowballs have been told there will be no reprieve.

The pupils were excluded from lessons at Seaham School of Technology for three weeks for deliberately disobeying an instruction by head teacher Bob Dingle not to throw snowballs.

Mr Dingle imposed the ban when heavy snow falls and plummeting temperatures turned piles of slush into ice.

The ruling followed a number of serious incidents elsewhere in the County Durham town, including one in which a woman suffered a heart attack after being pelted with snow and reports of several car windscreens being damaged by youths throwing snowballs.

Although there was no evidence to suggest pupils from Seaham School of Technology were involved, Mr Dingle warned all his students they would be excluded for 15 days if caught throwing snowballs.

But the ban was ignored by 61 children, who were immediately suspended.

Although parents accepted that their children were in the wrong, they felt the punishment was too severe and on Monday, they met with the head teacher and governors to plead for a reprieve which would allow their children back to the classroom.

But yesterday, letters were received at the homes of the suspended children announcing there would be no reduction in the three-week ban.

Some parents had hoped for an earlier return to school but Alan Bate, whose son is among the excluded group said the decision "came as no shock".

He said: "The governors have decided to uphold the head teacher's action and that is no surprise, but I believe the suspension has only punished parents because the children have viewed it as a holiday.

"I only hope that the school will think more carefully about such action in the future and perhaps consider several weeks of detention instead.''

Pauline Ramshaw, chairman of governors at the school, said: "The matter is being dealt with between the governors and parents."