Nearly 900 fines were handed out to Devon parents who took their children on holiday during term-time in the past academic year, council figures have revealed.
Government legislation was introduced in September 2013, which scrapped a previous rule that allowed for 10 days' unauthorised absence.
Parents are banned from taking their children on breaks outside the traditional school holidays unless there are "exceptional circumstances".
The news comes as BBC figures revealed no parents in neighbouring Cornwall have been fined for taking their children on holiday during term-time.
The Department for Education said: "Each local authority must consult with schools in its area to set the criteria for issuing penalty notices.
"Evidence shows allowing pupils to regularly miss school can be hugely detrimental to a child's education.
"The most recent full-year figures show we are making progress, with 130,000 fewer pupils regularly missing school under this government."
In February Mid Devon parents received a £120 fine for taking their daughter to Thailand.
Rob and Debbie Rodway, who run Mallards Tearoom in Tiverton, took their 15-year-old daughter Katie to Thailand on holiday.
They received a £120 fine from Devon County Council for the eight-day absence from Tiverton High School – £60 per parent.
But the pair claim the school has double standards when it comes to holidays.
It organised a skiing trip to Italy for pupils a week before the school broke up for Christmas.
"We took Katie out of school across the February half-term because that is the only time that we could go on holiday," said Debbie, who has run the tearoom with her husband for nine years.
"We only close for two weeks a year because when we do it costs us a lot of money. We can't go away during the summer holidays because that's a really busy time for the business so that's why we go over the half-term and we try to meet the school halfway – we do care about her education."
She added that Katie, who is in year 11 and the final year of her GCSEs, had a high attendance record and even took homework with her to do each evening in Thailand.
"Our problem is not so much the fine, but the principle that the school has taken kids on a ski trip during term time and then doesn't give permission to parents wanting to do the same," said Rob.Have your say: Should parents be fined for taking their children on holiday during term times?
