THOUSANDS of families across Southampton are being offered cut price foreign holidays in the latest bid to beat the city's truancy problem.

Education bosses have joined forces with a leading tour operator to offer the discount trips.

It has been introduced to encourage parents to take family holidays during school holidays instead of term time when it is cheaper.

Now, in the first scheme of its kind in the south, mums and dads of Southampton schoolchildren are being offered a ten per cent discount on all of Thomas Cook's holidays booked during school holidays.