FINES totalling tens of thousands of pounds have been dished out to British parents for taking their children on holiday during term, figures published today show.

Last year alone saw over 86,000 fines issued over children missing school to go away with their families, according to figures obtained through a freedom of information request.

The number of fines has almost trebled in the last two years.

The steep rise follows the government’s introduction of stricter rules on term-time holidays for pupils in England.

Father of one Craig Langman launched the Parents Want A Say campaign after feeling that the new rules were criminalising parents.

Within a week, more than 100,000 people signed his petition to scrap the £60 fines, which increase to £120 if parents refuse to pay.

Mr Langman himself was threatened with a fine after requesting permission to take his son to visit his sick grandfather on a school day.

“I was seeing red. I thought: ‘How dare they tell me that I can’t take my child out to see his family?’” he said.

“Nearly a quarter of a million people have signed my petition and are saying they feel they are being made to feel like criminals.”

Last week, a father won a court battle against a school in the Isle of Wight after refusing to pay a £120 fine for taking his daughters to Disney World in Florida during term time.

He successfully argued that the law requires parents ensure that their children attend school “regularly,” rather than barring them from being taken on holidays while school is still on.

Lancashire was found to be the borough with the highest number of fines for term-time holidaying children last year, having dished out 3,907.