CARMARTHENSHIRE Council have confirmed that there are parents living in the Amman and Towy valleys who face jail over their children's truancy.

They say there are currently seven prosecutions pending for parents of children who have failed to attend school. Families across the two valleys will be hit by their truancy crackdown.

And the authority warned they are set to bring dozens more cases to magistrates' courts across the county.

The alert comes after a Llanelli mother jailed for failing to send her son to school lost her appeal against the sentence.

The 35-year-old woman, who cannot be named, was imprisoned for 28 days last week by Llanelli magistrates.

Welfare officers at Carmarthen-shire County Council have welcomed the sentence and say they will continue with their tough stance on truancy.

Officials say court proceedings are the last resort, but are necessary in the fight against truancy. Some prosecutions are due to be held at Ammanford Magistrates' Court.

There have been around 20 prosecutions across the county so far this year, but the Llanelli mother was the first woman in Wales to be jailed.

Education welfare officer Philip Jones said: "We need to make sure pupils are in school. Their education is being damaged if they miss lessons."