AN MP is trying to solve a bizarre dispute which has seen a five-year-old boy miss almost three months of school because of his dislike of water.

Steven Tindall's mother, Lisa, has kept him at home since early September because she insists that he should be allowed to drink flavoured water in class.

Miss Tindall, 23, is angry that Steven, who wretches if he drinks plain water, is not allowed to bring a bottle of flavoured water into class under school rules.

All 106 pupils at the school are provided with water bottles which can be refilled from a water cooler in the classroom during the day.

School governors have backed headteacher Gill Steele's decision to ban soft drinks, which include flavoured water, during lessons at Whitecliffe Primary School, at Carlin How, east Cleveland.

Miss Tindall, who is taking solicitor's advice, said she will keep Steven off school until he is allowed to have flavoured drinks in class.

"I'm not backing down on this," she said. "Why should he be made to drink something he doesn't like?"

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar is now trying to find a compromise.

"It is in everyone's interest to get Miss Tindall's son back to school as soon as possible," said a spokesman for Mr Kumar.

The school, which is to be presented with a Healthy School Standard award, has provided Steven school work at his Carlin How home for seven weeks. But it said to continue, would no longer be reasonable.

Mrs Steele said: "We will welcome Steven back at the school when the issue over drinking water has been resolved."

David Smith, Redcar and Cleveland Council's assistant director of education, said: "We are as anxious as anyone involved in this issue for Steven to return to school as quickly as possible.

"The school is not saying the child cannot have flavoured water during lunch time.

"They are saying that he is not allowed to have it during class time.

"If there was a genuine medical reason why her son has to have flavoured water then, of course, the school would acquiesce to his needs," he said.