€10 fine for late parents

PARENTS in a suburb of Calais who are late picking up their children from school are to be issued with an on-the-spot €10 fine.

Local councillors in the commune of Les Attaques in the Nord department have voted in favour of the measure, which came into force last week with the start of the new academic year.

France 3 reports that "teachers had had enough" of the same handful of parents who were "at ease knowing that there would always be someone at school to look after their child" when they were late.

The fines apply to parents of primary school children - and are waived on a case-by-case basis if parents can prove there was a legitimate reason for their delay.

A nearby commune, Armentières, introduced a similar measure recently, with a fine of €5 for each late appearance.