A group of tech-savvy Kingston Grammar School pupils are set to appear in BBC's Robot Wars next week.

The trio of 13-year-olds - Harry Fletcher, Thomas Skeates and Chris Wilding - created the robot 'Frostbite' in their weekly after school technology club.

Weighing 85kg and costing under £500 the robot, their chosen weapon - a 600mm spinning bar that runs at 2,000 revolutions per minute, "created havoc" on old school chairs during the test phase in the school's playground, according to a school spokeswoman.

The team's robot took six months to build and is fully invertible and made of tubular steel and 6mm polycarbonate with a frosted design.

Harry Fletcher said: “It was amazing to see the size, weight and sheer strength of the robots we would be competing with - a train could do less damage than some of them.

“I had the most fantastic time, seeing how a TV show works, meeting the production crew and just soaking up the addictive world of Robot Wars. I can’t wait to go back for another go.”

Derek Farr, who runs the club for the pupils, said: “Participating in Robot Wars was an amazing experience. It was a unique opportunity to compete in the iconic entertainment programme.

“As an amateur team, we were amazed at the engineering and destructive power of the best professional teams.

“I hope we can encourage more young people with an interest in engineering and technology to take part in experiences like this.”

The boys will appear on the show on BBC2 on Sunday, March 26, at 7pm.