A coroner yesterday issued a stark warning of the dangers of drink after hearing how a 17-year-old boy choked on his vomit after a binge on a school trip.

Nicholas Ireland, a pupil at King's College school, Wimbledon, died during a science trip to Hamburg.

When he passed out in the youth hostel bedroom, his classmates debated whether to call an ambulance and tell teachers, but decided not to for fear of getting into trouble.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, the Surrey coroner, Michael Burgess, said: "With hindsight, if the debate had gone differently and an ambulance had been called earlier then the events that evening might have been very different."

He added: "Too much can mean the difference between a good time or extreme tragedy."

The inquest at Woking coroner's court heard that classmates believed Nicholas had started his evening's drinking with a bottle of beer at dinner, which was allowed on the trip.

Later, in an hour's free time, he went to a bar with friends where they got through five rounds of drinks, a mixture of beer and cocktails.

The inquest heard that back in the hostel bedroom, six youngsters drank a bottle of tequila before one collected money and went out to fetch a bottle of vodka. After sharing vodka and coke, Nicholas drank two tumblers of neat spirit, his final drink.