Parents in England whose children miss school face harsher penalties depending on where they live, a BBC Panorama investigation has found.
Fines, which begin at £60, but rise if not paid promptly, totalled more than £8.6m in the past school year.
But some local councils told us no penalties had been issued, while other authorities handed out thousands.
Even when differences in population are taken into account, there remain disparities in the number of fines.
In the past school year, Luton had the highest rate - 97 fines per 1,000 pupils. Bolton was not far behind at 89 per 1,000. And yet, in response to a BBC Freedom of Information request, Warrington and City of London councils said they had issued no penalties at all.
