PUPILS in East Lancashire are walking around with a monkey on their backs because of the weight of their school bags.

Some bags weigh a back-busting 5kg - the same as a male Vervet monkey - and a lack of space for lockers means children have nowhere to store their books.

Now MPs, including Chorley's Lindsey Hoyle, have backed an early day motion to try and get the Government to do something about the problem and keep children healthy.

The motion has been signed by 18 MPs and suggests that all post-primary schools throughout the UK should have sufficient lockers to store books and sports equipment.

According to Blackburn-based chartered physiotherapist Michael Pettigrew, a ban on heavy bags is overdue as most specialists know the dangers of carrying weights for most of the day on one shoulder.

He said: "There is no evidence yet, but it is widely accepted that in the long term we are going to see the medical consequences of carrying so many heavy books, from back to knee problems,

"The fact children flop around in shoes without laces will, on its own, lead to fallen arches and middle knee pain.

"I'm sure it's bad for them, but we need a study to stand up the hypothesis."

Eleven year-old Zaheer Ahmed, and 13-year-old Levi Walsh, both pupils at Witton Park County High School, Blackburn, are just two of those who believe there should be storage facilities.

Zaheer has his heaviest bags on Tuesdays when he has PE. Then it weighs up to 5kg - of which 2.5kg is text books, dictionaries, a pencil case and a lunch box.

He said: "When you are carrying all your books all day your back ends up really sore. To be able to leave it somewhere would be great."

Levi, has PE on Fridays. He said: "With all my trainers and clothes for PE it is a real pain. I wish we had lockers. It would be so much better. We have to bring in all our books or we don't have what we need for lessons."

But headteacher John Gosling, said there was no easy solution. He said: "Carrying bags is a big issue for all secondary school children as they carry books for five lessons a day. They have no fixed classroom and most rooms are too small to accommodate lockers for storage.

"For a little 11-year-old who is used to primary school, it is hard work. In the olden days we used to have desks."