THE region's teachers hit back last night at claims by Education Secretary David Blunkett that they are abandoning children by voting for industrial action.

Teachers in Middlesbrough have voted 95 per cent in favour of stopping cover for unfilled posts and colleagues who have been absent for more than three days.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) and National Association of Schoolmasters' Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) is locked in a battle with the Government over teacher shortages, with the unions organising the ballot at Middlesbrough and in other authorities across the country.

But there are fears that thousands of children in the region could be sent home from school as a result of the action.

Yesterday, Mr Blunkett said: "Far from being intimidated, we are getting increasingly iron-souled about this, and we are looking at ways we can deal with the unions in a way they could be surprised about.

"If you walk out on a class and send the kids home you damage their life chances."

But Hans Ruyssenaars, NASUWT's national executive member for Cleveland, called the Government hypocritical.

"If it will cause such chaos then it shows how long we have been covering for," he said.

"It is a problem which has existed for a long time. There simply aren't enough bodies for the job, with teachers doing the work of two to three people rather than concentrating on what they should be doing.

"We want something done about it, and the longer we go on papering over the cracks the longer the Government can hide and say there isn't a problem."

Nigel de Gruchy, general secretary of NASUWT, said the no-cover action was moderate and sensible.

"There is absolutely no question of teachers walking out on youngsters," he said.

"Teachers will continue to cover for up to three days. It is only the permanent vacancies and the known absences we will refuse to cover.

"Every day the Government is forced to come forward with another initiative to deal with the crisis over teacher supply. Each panic measure the Government is forced to take justifies the action NASUWT and NUT have implemented.