Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Pic: Facebook

A 16-year-old teenager from Croydon has died after reportedly taking ecstasy at a rave on an industrial site in West London.

Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, a student at Archbishop Tenison’s Church of England High School in Croydon, was left fighting for his life after allegedly suffering a bad reaction to the drug. He later died in hospital.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said they were called to the site at 4.00am by an ambulance service, after receiving reports of an unconscious male at an industrial site at Silverdale Road, Hayes.

He added: “The 16-year-old boy was taken by London Ambulance Service to a west London hospital believed to be suffering from the effects of a drugs overdose. He was later transferred to a central London hospital where he died on Monday, 20 January.”

Russ Spargo, a family member of the deceased boy, tweeted on Monday: “Bless him, Dan died about 12.50. We’re all shell shocked…”

Later, in reply to a condolence message, he tweeted: “Thank you for reaching out. It’s too surreal. Ghastly. Dan was lovely. This is hard but there’s much still to be grateful for.”

Classes for the Sixth Form at Archbishop Tension’s Church of England High School were cancelled.

Headmaster Richard Parrish released a statement saying: “Sometimes you hope that the worst thing won’t happen. Sometimes it does happen anyway. And yesterday it did. Our heart goes out to Daniel’s family, to his parents, to his brother Jacob and to his closest friends.”

“To them we want to say the same as we are saying to ourselves: that what has happened to Daniel is not normal. It is not normal that a bright, articulate, talented 16 year-old should be taken from us in this way. It is not normal that his school and, above all, his family should be grieving today for his loss to us. It is not normal that his year group and his friends should have to learn so soon in life how short that life can be.”

Two men, aged 18 and 19 years, have been arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs.