A PLAY on the dangers of drugs gangs grooming children is being staged next week.

AlterEgo Creative Solutions has been commissioned by Essex Youth Service to perform the play to raise awareness of child exploitation by criminals.

It will be shown next Thursday at Maldon Stadium in Park Drive from 6.45pm to 8.45pm.

The countywide project is called County Lines and is for young people, parents and professionals in the community.

It explores the drug trafficking model that sees teens targeted by gangs to groom, trick, trap and manipulate them into trafficking drugs and weapons.

The aim is to explain the grooming process and how to avoid it, crossovers between criminal and sexual exploitation and where to go for advice.

Senior youth and community commissioner and show organiser Jo Adams said: “We commissioned AlterEgo theatre group last year for a project on child sexual exploitation called Chelsea’s Choice.

“It was well received and off the back of that, we’ve made this new play.

“We have worked with them to tweak it for the Essex picture.

“As this goes out nationally, the language is different from county to county so we change it so the audience can identify with it more.

“We would like to do something next year, whether it’s on gangs or something else. It depends on the things young people want to see.”

There are similar events all over Essex including Chelmsford, Braintree and Colchester.

The event is free and people can register online. For details, visit eventbrite.co.uk/e/county-lines-maldon-tickets-53247612041.