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The truancy sweep, a joint operation between Manchester City Council's education department and Greater Manchester Police, is the third of its kind in the city since last October.

Nearly 500 children, equivalent to more than 16 average-size classes, were caught in the first two sweeps in south and central Manchester and 300 of them were with adults.

During the first two days of the three-day-long north Manchester operation, 63 young people were stopped by police and questioned about their absence from school.

Of these, nearly two thirds were with adults and just over a third were primary-aged children and the rest were secondary-school age.

The truancy sweep was planned after new powers were granted to police nationally allowing them to stop schoolchildren in public places during school hours.

Those believed to be playing truant, including those accompanied by adults, can be approached by uniformed police officers and taken to education authority premises

Education welfare officers then interview the children and, where appropriate, take them back to school.

Chief insp. Dave Thompson of GMP said: "Truants can and do cause nuisance in communities and are also potential victims of crime and we never lose sight of that fact.

"We are working closely with education welfare services and others to reduce nuisance and to return truants to their proper place. The early indications are that we are having a significant effect."