POLICE have warned youngsters that truanting from school will not be tolerated after another successful crackdown in Darlington.

A truancy sweep carried out this week by police and Darlington Borough Council found 13 children without a valid excuse for being out of school.

The operation was carried out on Wednesday.

Thirty-six boys and girls were stopped, 16 of primary school age.

Thirteen had valid medical excuses, five had permission from their schools to be absent, three had been excluded and two had legitimate personal reasons to be out of lessons.

However, the remaining 13 were playing truant and were either taken back to school or made the subject of follow-up inquiries by education welfare officers.

The most inventive explanation came from a boy who claimed he had slept all night in his uniform and did not want to attend school the next day wearing crumpled clothes.

PC Stacey Vials, of Darlington police, said: "This joint action by ourselves and the council is aimed at ensuring children are in lessons and not running the risk of getting into trouble.

"The operation followed on from a similar blitz in June and more exercises on these lines are planned for later this term."