A 54-year-old man has become the first father in Oxfordshire, and one of only a handful nationwide, to be jailed because his son's truancy.

The single parent was given a two-week prison sentence by Oxford magistrates for allowing the boy to skip school between November last year and May.

He has become the second Oxfordshire parent to be imprisoned in a month - and the third in total - for allowing his child to miss class.

The Banbury Cake is banned by the courts from identifying the boy or his school.

But it can be revealed his father was hauled before JPs earlier this year and handed a six-month suspended prison sentence for failing to secure his son's attendance.

However, the boy continued to miss school and when his father appeared at court for a third time, magistrates felt they were left with no option.

Neighbours described him as a "waster who lived off the state" who allowed his son to stay at home and watch television.

One neighbour said: "He does nothing. He is so lazy.

"All they do all day is sit in front of the television.

"Sometimes I have seen the mother take the boy to school - and he comes back again.

"I see a lot that goes on, the father waits on the boy hand, foot and finger.

"We knew when we were children we had to go to school."

We contacted the boy's secondary school but was told it "would not comment directly".

He was being looked after by his mother and her partner until his father is released from prison.

Just last month, in a separate case, a 39-year-old mother was given an eight-week jail term after her daughter skipped classes between May and July this year.

Barry Armstrong, Oxfordshire County Council's pupil welfare officer, vowed to continue to take "all necessary action" against parents who failed to ensure their children get to school.

He said: "Imprisonment is clearly a serious outcome for the family, but we use the courts as a last resort when a parent will not engage, despite best efforts, with all the support that has been offered and where a child's attendance remains poor.

"Our support measures mean the vast majority of truancy cases never reach the courts - less than five per cent - and much of this has been achieved working alongside families and school to try to resolve whatever problems exist."

In 2002, Patricia Amos, of Banbury, became the first parent in the country to be jailed for allowing her daughters to play truant. She received a 60-day sentence.

Although truancy in Oxfordshire has dropped, prosecutions have almost doubled from 35 cases in 2004/05 to 61 in 2005/06.

Court service spokesman Peter Farr said: "This was a serious offence of its kind, aggravated by the previous convictions and the breach of a suspended sentence."