A GRIEF-STRICKEN father last night spoke out against the bullies who drove his teenage daughter to take a fatal overdose.

Ben Swift's daughter, Elaine, 15, died after taking more than 100 painkillers.

"The bullying policy failed my daughter and I want the bullies who did this to think of Elaine every day," said Mr Swift, of Hartlepool.

"They should suffer like our daughter suffered and like we are suffering now."

His anger came as pressure was mounting on the Government to take urgent action on bullying. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) said its members' workloads needed to be tackled so they could devote more time to pastoral care.

Charities called for more funding for support groups and training for teachers, while Hartlepool-based Families Against Bullying said bullying needed to become a criminal offence.

Schoolgirl Elaine lost her two-week battle for life on Monday after undergoing a liver transplant and being struck down by septicemia.

Her parents, Ben and Fiona, said Elaine was driven to the depths of despair after saving her ten-year-old sister Christine's life in 1997.

The brave teenager donated bone marrow to her sister, who was suffering from leukemia, and her family believe the selfless gesture made her a target for bullies.

Mr Swift, 45, a primary school governor who suffers with the crippling spine disorder spondylosis, said: "Elaine was such a kind-hearted, fun-loving girl.

"The bullying policy has failed my daughter. I will fight for a better system to deal with bullies until the day I die."

The family moved Elaine from Brierton School, in Hartlepool, to nearby Dyke House Comprehensive last summer in a bid to end their daughter's years of cruel taunts. But her persecution continued.

The headteachers of both schools said they were satisfied steps were taken to deal with the bullying claims.

Elaine Kay, principal officer of the NUT in the North-East, said the Government needed to tackle teachers' workloads.

"Bullying is an issue the schools do take seriously, and they do have anti-bullying policies in place," she said.

"But there used to be a time when we were able to talk to pupils, to get to know them and form close relationships. There isn't often the time to do that any more."

The teenager's ashes are expected to be scattered near her former home of Alloa, in Scotland.