EDUCATION chiefs are urging victims of bullying to speak out following a report which revealed Lancashire pupils are still suffering in silence.

The reminder was prompted after more than a third of the teenagers taking part in an online survey said they would not confide in a teacher or parent if they were the victims of bullying.

The survey, carried out by educational literature company Letts Educational on its website, found 35 per cent of the 14 to 16-year-olds who responded said they would not tell anyone if they were bullied.

And the survey, which quizzed more than 3,000 children across the North West, found that less than half (46 per cent) of the pupil participants would turn to a parent for help and only 19 per cent would talk to a teacher.

Peter Stafford, from Letts Educational, said: "It is alarming that so many said they would tell no one at all.

"It is extremely important that these children find an alternative support group, be it friends or other family members to confide in."

In 2003 Lancashire County Council became one of the first local authorities in the country to appoint an anti-bullying adviser to help schools improve their policies on tackling bullying.

And a spokesman said: "Although the evidence provided by Letts suggests that some pupils would be reluctant to tell a teacher or parent about bullying, within Lancashire there is evidence to suggest that pupils also speak to friends or brothers and sisters.

"Our advice to pupils is that they shouldn't suffer in silence and it's important to tell someone about the problem before it can get worse."

The council has recently produced a booklet entitled The Anti-Bullying School which provides information and support for schools who regularly survey parents and pupils to monitor their perceptions and experiences of bullying.

Coun Dave Hollings, Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive member for education and lifelong learning, said: "We would encourage all young people to speak to an adult about any incident of bullying or harassment.

"All forms of bullying and harassment are unacceptable and should not be tolerated, and our schools work to ensure children and young people feel safe and valued."

But he stressed the council were actively trying to stamp out bullying: "We aim to provide strong support to all of our schools in promoting anti-bullying measures and dealing effectively with any incidents which do occur.

"A lot of work on self-esteem and celebrating diversity also takes place in personal, social and health education lessons (PSHES) and many of our schools are developing work on emotional health and wellbeing through the Healthy Schools initiative."