UP TO a third of high school children in an East Lancashire borough are not eating the free school meals they are entitled to.

An inquiry has now been launched into why the figure is rising, amid fears it could be because of bullying.

Government figures show that of the 2,400 pupils entitled to free meals in Blackburn and Darwen, 600 a day are not taking them.

The number missing out has risen from 25 per cent to 30 per cent in the last year.

In Lancashire around a fifth of secondary school pupils entitled to free school meals, with 1,600 of 9,900 missing out -- 17 per cent, up from 16 per cent in 2003.

And around a fifth of pupils in Blackburn with Darwen Council primary schools (600 out of 3,700) are skipping the free lunches.

Regionally, around a fifth of all pupils are not taking them, while nationally 22 per cent miss out.

Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, Coun Kate Hollern, said: "This is a disturbing trend and we have to get to the bottom of it. For some children, through no fault of their parents, a school meal can be the best meal of the day for them.

"We need to find out why these meals are being missed. We are trying to create a system where pupils use swipe cards rather than cash for meals, which would eliminate any stigma.

"The fear is these children are going hungry as a result."

Peter Hunt, council director of direct services, said: "We automatically award free school meals when processing claims for housing and council tax benefit.

"Not every family chooses to take up their entitlement and the reasons are varied. We are keen to promote healthy eating."

But Brian Harrison-Jennings, general secretary to the Association of Educational Psychologists, said the receipt of free school meals was often used by bullies, particularly girls, to torment others.

He said: "The only system that will work is one which makes it impossible to tell who is on free meals."

And according to the Child Poverty Action Group, the shame often felt by youngsters from poorer families coupled with peer pressure is driving many to play truant.

A spokesman said: "Nationally, up to 300,000 children do not take up their entitlement and miss out on school trips for fear of being teased."

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council added: "We are pleased our free meal uptake is one of the best in the country. We are proud of the school meals we provide but we will be looking at these figures to establish why this is happening."