A vital group who volunteer within the night time economy are warning revellers over the dangers of spiking.

The Weymouth Street Pastors are ‘preparing themselves for a busy bank holiday weekend’ and are sharing some tips to help anyone planning a night out.

A spokesperson for the group said: “Spiking can happen in Weymouth and can affect anyone, but recognising the signs can buy you valuable time to get help. Being aware is the key.

“Symptoms of spiking can start between five and 30 minutes of being spiked.”

These symptoms may include:

• Feeling or being sick.

• Dizziness, feeling shaky or panicked.

• Blurred vision or visual problems.

• Hallucinations.

• Confusion or slurring words.

• Difficulty with walking.

• Feeling disorientated.

If someone becomes unwell, they advise not to continue with any drinks or vapes, tell a friend or someone you trust and ask them to walk with you to Safe Space in St Mary's Church, remove yourself from the situation, but do not go with a stranger and if you are alone let the door staff know you think you have been spiked.

If this happens on Friday, Saturday or Sunday across the bank holiday weekend, you can also ask door staff to radio for the street pastors who will come to you.

The volunteers can also be reached via mobile on: 07513 280240.

For urgent help, dial 999 or have a trusted friend take you to A&E and tell them you think you have been spiked and if possible take your drink with you.

Lots of our local venues now offer the covers for bottles and glasses for free.

Drink spiking sees drugs being secretly put into someone's drink to affect their behaviour. In some cases, 'date rape' drugs may be used to spike a drink before an assault.

It was revealed back in 2022 that drink spiking reports in Dorset had reached a record high.

However, at a council meeting last year, it was revealed that drink spiking incidents in the Dorset Council area remain rare – with a series of measures in place to deal with the problem.

A council licensing committee told that most of the reported incidents were in Weymouth, where late night venues are already offered free testing kits via Pubwatch and the police, together with advice on how to reduce the risks.