A school reunion had to be broken up by police after former pupils started scrawling graffiti on the walls and smoking in the toilets.

Orwell High School in Felixstowe, Suffolk, last night held an event for alumni before it is due to close next month.

But the party spiralled out of control when attendees - some in their 40s and 50s - began vandalising the building.

The school blamed a 'small minority' of the visitors for the damage, which prompted a clean-up operation this morning.

Carnage: A reunion at Orwell High School in Felixstowe had to be shut down thanks to ex-pupils' behaviour

The former pupils repeatedly set off the fire alarm when they refused to stop smoking in the toilets while drunk.

They also drew lewd pictures on the wall, and damaged current students' work which was on display.

After police and firefighters were called to the scene, the revellers were told to go home early.

Former pupil Jaimielee Rendall, who left the school in 2005, said: 'I've heard various stories that people were walking around drunk and didn't know what they were doing.

'A few of the walls had graffiti on them, which is a shame because children now have to go to school this morning with their school emblazoned with graffiti. It's sad it got out of control.'

The school is set to merge with the nearby Deben High School to create Felixstowe Academy.

A similar reunion set to take place at Deben High was cancelled after the carnage at Orwell.

A spokesman for the academy said: 'Unfortunately the evening had to be brought to a close earlier than planned due to health and safety concerns.

'Sadly a very small minority of adult visitors took it upon themselves to smoke within the building and write graffiti on the walls, causing vandalism to an operating school.'