A Secondary school has angered parents by allowing the marketing manager of a controversial alcoholic drink to talk to pupils.

The Labour MP for Falkirk West, Dennis Canavan, said yesterday that Denny High School should not allow any further representatives of Buckfast to come near it. The school, at the request of pupils, asked Buckfast Abbey in Devon, which makes the tonic wine to an ancient and very strong recipe, to send a representative to the school for a question-and-answer session with senior pupils.

The session was part of an English studies project on alcohol, but parents have claimed that the fact that the exercise was turned into a promotion for the product when Buckfast Abbey sent its Scottish marketing manager, Jim Wilson, to the school. Buckfast wine, known as "buckie", has been blamed for many alcohol-related problems among young people in the west of Scotland, and the Airdrie and Shotts MP, Helen Liddell, has called for restrictions on its sale after a huge growth in social problems in her constituency related to its consumption. Mr Canavan expressed "concern" at the school's decision to invite a Buckfast spokesman to speak to pupils of 15 and 16.

He backed an angry parent, Anne Benton, of Banknock, who said her daughter and her class were treated to "little more than an advert" for Buckfast. The MP said: "I would be very concerned indeed if this was to be repeated." He is writing to the school at the request of Mrs Benton . She said: "When my daughter told me, I went ballistic. It wasn't one of the monks, they just churn out the rubbish. It was the marketing manager. He couldn't fail to market his own product - he is not going to criticise it, is he?"

Mrs Benton, the deputy convener of Denny, Bonnybridge and Banknock Area Forum, has written to the education department calling for an inquiry into the incident. She said: "I was appalled. That almost made me feel as if Denny High School approved of Buckfast. "The kids were all making jokes about it, asking if they could have free samples. This is endorsing a product that already has a cult following. "The school claim the pupils asked the man to come, but where does that end - would they stop the pupils inviting along Myra Hindley or Rose West?"

Denny High School's deputy rector, Charles Mackie, said: "This was arranged at the behest of the pupils to question the maker of this drink. He was given a very severe questioning. It was far from a kind of presentation to sell the product. Mr Wilson was getting a pretty fair grilling." Mr Mackie added that there was no suggestion that Mr Wilson "was someone coming in as part of a programme to present his product".

Mr Wilson defended his participation . He said: "I didn't take in any Buckfast tonic wine. No bottles, no colour posters and no freebies were taken. "It was not a promotional gig, it was educational. I told the children three times that it was wrong to purchase alcohol under the age of 18. My product has found its place in the market. I don't have any pressure to sell it, especially not to target children. The purpose of my visit was not to do that."