PARENTS of children at schools across Swindon have been warned of a dangerous new drugs craze that can leave those who take it in a four-day coma.

Lean, a mixture of prescription strength cough medicine and fizzy drink, has been featured in the lyrics of American hip hop stars like Lil Wayne and Chris Brown.

And last year, the substance – sometimes known by street nickname purple drank – was blamed for causing the death of singer Arianna Grande’s boyfriend.

Now, Swindon drugs service workers want to warn children and their parents about the dangers of the codeine-based concoction, which can leave users in a drugged stupor.

Michael Hadgraft of U-turn, Swindon Borough Council’s drugs team supporting young people, said: “My biggest concern is it’s a powerful opioid depressant. It wouldn’t be prescribed in the UK. It’s people getting hold of it from illegal sources. You don’t know what you’re getting.”

He revealed that no young people had approached them directly for help kicking an addiction to Lean, but it was a substance about which many youngsters were aware.

“It’s something we’re having discussions with young people about and young people recognise friends who have tried it or taken information about it from social media,” he said.

In a note for parents, sent out through Swindon schools last week, U-Turn warned Lean could be fatal if taken along with booze or other depressants like cannabis.

Council officers wrote: “Lean is known to slow down respiratory rates of people that abuse the substance.

“Alone, this can be dangerous as breathing slows, but the situation becomes more troubling when the substance is mixed with alcohol or other depressants (including cannabis).

“Since they are both depressants, their combined effect could lead to serious injury, coma, or death.

“Sedation is also a concern for Lean users. People who take the medication in large doses might experience severe sedation that can last for three to four days.”

Lean was not available to buy over the counter, with the codeine-based product only available on the “dark web” or through drug dealers. It makes it difficult to be sure what is in the purple drink.

U-turn added in the warning letter: “If Lean is continually used, especially in larger quantities, you can develop a chemical dependency to the medication. When this happens, the body doesn't function properly without it. It is possible to become physically dependent on the drug.”

The affect of the drug on young people were similar to sedative Xanax, with slurred speech and short-term memory loss.

The Lean warning follows concerns, reported in the Adver earlier this year, about Xanax.

Police blamed the white pills for an incident in Park South that saw two young people tear through the neighbourhood on a drug-binge rampage. The pair were, in the words of one lawyer, “causing mayhem”.

The pocket money pills can be bought for as little as £5.

Mr Hadgraft said substances like cannabis remained most popular among Swindon teenagers.

He added of Xanax: “It’s not something we’re seeing massively take over from other substances, but we are seeing more young people experimenting with it.”

Parents needed to be alive to the risks of the tranquiliser pills: “For me, it’s being confident knowing what a Xanax pill looks like. It could have been put together with anything.”

U-turn said if parents find substances that they don’t recognise, they should call 101 and share details with the police.