NINETY youngsters were stopped on the first day of a town centre crackdown on truants.

For three days this week education welfare officers and police have been patrolling Wigan town centre asking any school-age youngsters they find why they aren't in school.

Although truancy in the borough is below the national average, education bosses hope that by 2002 they will have cut it by a third.

Director of education Bob Clark said: ''Many children sadly still see skipping school as fun. Even worse, many parents condone it.

''Yet the consequences for the rest of a young person's life can be enormous. It can lead to seriously reduced job prospects, social exclusion and even a descent into criminality.''

Sgt Stuart Wrudd, from GMP, hopes that the initiative will also reduce crime levels in the area.

''There is clear evidence to show that children who truant are more likely to engage in criminal behaviour,'' he said.

''We are optimistic that by doing this we are tackling a major root cause of crime and influencing the future behaviour of the borough's inhabitants.''