Letchworth schoolgirls taken to hospital after copying TV ethanol-drinking scene

FIVE students at The Highfield School in Letchworth GC went to hospital after drinking ethanol taken out of a science lesson. It is thought that the five, all Year 9 girls, were copying a scene from the BBC drama Waterloo Road screened last week. It was t

FIVE students at The Highfield School in Letchworth GC went to hospital after drinking ethanol taken out of a science lesson.

It is thought that the five, all Year 9 girls, were copying a scene from the BBC drama Waterloo Road screened last week.

It was the second time in a week that children had been taken ill after imitating characters in the TV programme. The first incident was at a West Midlands school.

At Highfield, the girls complained about feeling ill after drinking a mixture of the pure alcohol and squash.

The school referred press calls to Herts County Council where a spokesman said: "The students were not seriously ill. They were taken to Lister Hospital where they were assessed and discharged. They did not need treatment."

Asked how they had managed to take the ethanol out of the classroom, she said: "You can't watch what they are doing all the time."

Gary Sanderson, spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service, confirmed that an ambulance was sent to the school to a report of girls unwell.

"Three girls were assessed at the scene by paramedics and taken to Lister Hospital by ambulance," he said. HoH