A GRIEVING father has urged teenagers tempted to take drugs to picture the face of his beloved daughter and remember the name Megan Bell.

The popular 17-year-old died at a music festival last summer and on Friday afternoon an inquest concluded she suffered ‘a drug-related death’.

Toxicology tests revealed she had a high concentration of MDMA, or ecstasy, in her body.

Friends and family bid emotional farewell to Megan

A police investigation showed how text messages suggest she had arranged to buy tablets, known as Orange Penguins, with two friends before going to T in the Park in Scotland last July.

She also told friends she had taken something while in the Slam, a high energy dance tent, at the festival, the inquest at Crook, in County Durham, was told.

Her father, Chris Bell, from Seaham, said: “At 16 or 17 you are not old enough to realise the dangers.

“My message to kids is remember our Megan. Remember her photograph.

“Look at how beautiful she is and how much she enjoyed life. You do not want to throw it away by taking drugs.”

Mr Bell is campaigning for tougher age restrictions at music festivals and the family has set up a charity in the wake of Megan’s death to support people following the loss of a child.

Mr Bell said: “My message to other parents is to ‘please look into what you children are doing.

“I know it sounds harsh, but remember what we have gone through, losing our child.

“We were letting her sleep out at friends’ houses and going into town because she was 17, but there is a possibility she was experimenting with drugs

“I am not saying she was but it is a possibility, so parents should be aware of what they are getting up to.

“Don’t be scared to snoop. Check on their phones. If they are staying at a friend’s house book a taxi or go and get them. Make sure they are safe and sound with you in the house.”

The inquest was told Megan, a former pupil of St Anthony’s Catholic Girls’ Academy, became ill at around midnight on July 8 after an evening with friends at the Strathallan Castle site in Perthshire.

A post mortem examination revealed she had 2.2mg of MDMA in a litre of blood.

Police Scotland’s major investigation teams was called in as Peter McCallum, 17, from Lochgilphead, Argyll, also died in a separate incident at the festival.

Tests later revealed he had MDMA in his system as well and police thought there could have been a dealer with particularly harmful batch of drugs.

Detective Inspector David Pinkney told the inquest no-one who was interviewed admitted seeing Megan take drugs that night, but he believed she had consumed the drugs voluntarily.

Friends had told how Megan had begun experimenting with ecstasy occasionally at social occasions in the year before her death.

Texts showed her arranging to buy drugs and cell site analysis revealed her phone had been in the same vicinity as the suspected dealer.

Det Insp Pinkney said she became ill on her way back to her tent.

He said: “At midnight a friend comes back from the toilet and noticed there is something different about Megan and asks if she has taken something.

“At that stage she said she has taken something at the Slam tent. Megan has collapsed and her friend is picking her up. She described her legs as being ‘like jelly’.”

The inquest was told Megan’s breathing became rapid and the alarm was raised with friends then a first aider and then an ambulance.

Megan was taken to temporary hospital facility and was intubated, given CPR and a shock using a defibrillator.

Despite the efforts of medical staff Megan was pronounced dead at 2.20am

When questioned by her family, the officer conceded it was possible Megan could have been spiked with a substance, which led to her death.

Following the launch of the investigation in Scotland, Northumbria Police arrested three teenagers in connection with the supply of drugs.

An 18-year-old has been released with no further action while a woman, 17 and a man of 18 are currently on bail pending further investigation.

Coroner Crispin Oliver said: “I find that she died from adverse effects of MDMA. The conclusion is that she died a drug-related death, which is evident.

“Megan Bell consumed MDMA at T in the Park festival on July 7, 2016.

“It cannot be concluded that she took those drugs voluntarily and she may have been spiked.

“You have obviously lost a very, very precious young girl, who was obviously very much loved.”