A HARSH lesson in the consequences of drinking too much was played out for some Bexley school pupils and the government’s minister for crime prevention.

Smashed is a hard-hitting play about a group of young friends whose misuse of alcohol ends in tragedy, sponsored by the drinks company Diageo GB.

Eleven and 12-year-olds at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School in Hurst Road, Sidcup, watched the play performed by Collingwood Learning, together with the minister James Brokenshire, who is also MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup.

The performance was followed by an interactive workshop where the Year 7 pupils were able to question the characters’ decisions, explore their motivations and the consequences of their actions and change the outcome of the story.

Afterwards Mr Brokenshire said: “Under-age drinking and problems linked to binge boozing remain a significant issue.

“It was good to see how the students got involved.”