Almost 1,000 parents were fined last year by Kirklees Council for taking their kids on holiday in term time.
The authority issued a staggering 988 penalty notices against parents during 2013 for unauthorised holidays during term time.
And 100 of those people were hauled before the courts after failing to pay the fine.
News of the tough action comes as a Shropshire couple found themselves in court, landed with a bill of hundreds of pounds for taking a holiday in term time.
The couple who took their three children out of school to go on a week-long holiday to Greece have been fined £630 and ordered to pay £300 in costs.
Stewart Sutherland and his wife Natasha, of Telford, were also handed a £63 victim surcharge after telling magistrates that work commitments had prevented them taking the holiday during the official summer break.
Speaking after the case at Telford Magistrates’ Court in Shropshire, Sutherland described newly-tightened regulations governing pupils’ absence for holidays as a farce.
The 39-year-old, who works as a Ministry of Defence guard, told reporters: “The people who make these laws and policies don’t live in the real world.”
Kirklees revealed the figures which show the fine locally is £60 per parent per child if paid within 21 days.
It rises to £120 per parent per child if paid after 21 days but within 28 days.
If the fine is unpaid after 28 days the matter is referred to the magistrates court.
The council said school absence data for 2013 is not yet available but said there has been a noticeable decline in term-time holidays in Kirklees and nationally over the previous three years.
There have been 100 prosecutions in Huddersfield and Dewsbury in the past year of people who have failed to pay the penalty notice for unauthorised absences.
The penalty notice income is kept by Kirklees Council to fund the administration of the process and also to pay towards legal costs.
Families can save hundreds of pounds in holiday costs by not sticking to official school holidays, as hotel and flight prices rise.
Kirklees Cabinet member Clr Cath Harris said: “The decrease in numbers of unauthorised absences highlights our commitment to tackling the issue which is a national problem.
“We work closely with our local schools to reduce the figures and this reflects our priority of enhancing life chances for young people.
“Pupils are increasingly aware that there are major disadvantages in being absent from school – not just in terms of educational attainment but also in harming their future opportunities.”
