DAVID Cameron would come down on his own children "very toughly" if they skipped school, he says.

That “tough love” is needed across the country by docking the benefits of the parents of persistent truants, the Prime Minister believes.

The Prime Minister said it would send an "absolutely clear" message about the importance of ensuring attendance to take unpaid fines directly out of child benefit.

He said: "These penalties ... are only imposed where someone has been fairly persistently truant and they can't resolve this issue with the school.

“"What we are saying today is where those fines aren't paid, they should be taken out of a parent's child benefit to make sure the signal is absolutely clear that it's your duty as a parent to get your children to school every day.

"That is a very strong positive message to send out and I think on behalf of taxpayers who fund this child benefit, it is quite right to say to people: yes, child benefit is your right but with that right come some responsibilities."

But those who provide a lifeline to low income families believe it will prompt a surge in parents seeking help.

John McKay, who helps run the Lee Chapel North Community Centre, Ballards Walk, Laindon said: “I don’t agree with this at all. It’s all very well saying they will take money from tax credits but they are all millionaires. If they dropped their wallets with £300 in they wouldn’t notice it but people round here would be in dire straits if they lost a small amount.

“These people haven’t got a clue how people live. They ought to come and see people trying to make ends meet. The foodbank is struggling now. If we see a surge we could be in trouble and something like this could make that happen.”

At present, non-payment of the £60 civil penalty in England leads to it being doubled to £120 after 21 days and subject to prosecution after 28, but 40 per cent still fail to pay and many do not end up in court because councils do not press legal action.

Essex County Council welcomed the proposal, insisting it would send the right message to parents.

Ray Gooding, Tory county councillor responsible for education and lifelong learning, said: “Parents have a legal duty to ensure regular school attendance for their children who are registered at a school. Every lessons really does count and, as today’s announcement shows, the Government expects local authorities to use their statutory powers to protect the education of children.

“Deducting unpaid penalty notices directly from child benefits will be a more cost effective and efficient method of retrieval. However, we believe it is important that local authorities retain the power to take legal action through the courts for more severe cases or when penalty notices have failed to secure regular school attendance.

“Schools in Essex continue to work with families to address the cause of absences in the first instance and, where appropriate, penalty notices are issued in line with the agreed local code of conduct, which can be found on the council’s website.”

Anne Jones, Southend councillor responsible for children and learning, said: “It is proven that persistent absence is a significant factor in children underachieving and gaining lower exam results and we therefore work with schools to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity of achieving their full potential from their education.

“We only ever prosecute parents as a last resort and starting legal action is not a decision we ever take lightly, but it is a decision we will make if it is in the best interests of the child and those parents refuse to work with the school and us to resolve the issues.”

Ms Jones added: “In the last academic year, only seven cases ended up in court out of a total of 46, so the announcement should not change our approach greatly, although it could reduce administration and court time and fees for those that do refuse to pay.

“However, as with all these types of announcements we will need to look at the details more carefully.”

A DAD who has been fined has criticised the “bully-boy” tactics of the Government.

Last year Ivor Watson, 42, faced court after failing to pay a £360 fine for taking his four children out of Holt Farm Infants and Junior Schools in January on the trip to Orlando in Florida.

Mr Watson of Nutcombe Crescent, Rochford paid up but says those unable to do so would be hit by the decision to take cash from benefits if truancy persists.

He said: “I disagree with this completely. They want their money so will do what they want to get it. I was fortunate enough to pay my fine but many aren’t.

“I get tax credits and can imagine it will hit some people hard to have it just taken. It’s just bully boy tactics.