AN MP has warned the Government could be heading for a political banana skin after turning down school pupils' pleas for free fruit.

Hyndburn's Greg Pope has criticised one of his Labour colleagues for shelving the plea from local young people -- to extend the availability of free fruit to junior school pupils to stop them getting fat.

The MP has now promised to step up his campaign for a change in policy, after youngsters from Peel Park Primary, Alice Street, wrote to the Hyndburn backbencher asking for an extension of the scheme, which only applies to infant pupils aged five to seven, to eight to 11-year-olds.

Mr Pope passed the letters to Health Minister Melanie Johnson, who has now replied to say there will be no decision on extending the project until next year.

Deputy head of Peel Park Primary, Alan Henderson, said: "It's very disappointing. There's not a lot else you can say when the Government overturns something like that.

"I have had Greg Pope's secretary on the phone saying that the Health Minister is going to send a reply to each and every child. To say that this was a writing exercise, the children have got a lot from it, but they're going to lose out in terms of the fruit."

The young children at Peel Park were so keen on the scheme they went right to the top to have it extended to older pupils.

One of the pupils, Kara Culshaw, 11, told Mr Pope in a letter: "Key Stage 1 pupils have had fruit for more than a year. The teachers have reported the children have been more alert and they are finding it helps us to work and concentrate.

"You expect children to have a healthy diet, but many choose to eat fast foods. Surely it would be better to encourage them to eat more healthily by providing fruit every day."

Mr Pope said: "I'm disappointed that the Minister has not yet decided to take up the excellent idea of pupils at Peel Park Primary School to extend the free fruit to juniors as well as infants.

"But we won't be deterred and intend to table an Early Day Motion in the Commons next week to highlight this campaign and hopefully persuade other MPs to support it too."