Across social media over the last weeks there have been rising reports of people being spiked when out in bars and clubs.

Police have confirmed that reports of spiking are on the rise.

Various universities and bars have put out statements urging people to take extra care when out.

Shockingly, many are claiming they have been spiked via injection rather than tampered drink. This has caused concern for many with the risks associated with dirty needles.

One student has told BBC Breakfast she believes she was spiked with injection.

Woman recalls experience of being spiked in nightclub

19-year-old Zara Owen from Surrey told the presenters she went out in her university town of Nottingham last Monday and blacked out not long after arriving at a venue.

She told BBC Breakfast: “I went out with my friends to a nightclub in the city – nothing more than what we would usually do.

“I remember going to the bar, going to the toilet, going to the photobooth, and then after that moment my memory is a blank until I get home and I’m getting my phone charger.

Barrhead News: Worries have been raised over disease that could be contracted from dirty needles (Canva)Worries have been raised over disease that could be contracted from dirty needles (Canva)

“I know I didn’t drink as much as I usually would on a night out this night, and the fact that I don’t remember anything is terrifying for me because this is something that is a very rare occasion to me.

“I’ve never suffered with memory loss and then the next morning, obviously I did with the memory loss, I woke up with a really painful leg.

“I found a pin prick in my leg which was the epicentre of all pain. It made me unable to walk and I was limping around.

“As a young person who’s at university, I’m hearing stories of people who have been to nightclubs and they have been injected. I have heard stories of someone having it through their hand or through their back so this kind of gave me an idea this had happened to me.”

She added how the worry of contracting a disease if the injection used had been a dirty one.

Press Association have reported that Nottinghamshire Police have seen a rising number of reports of spiking over recent months and are now stepping up operations to tackle the problem.

Superintendent Kathryn Craner said: “Over the last few months we have seen an increase in reports where people believe that drugs may have been put in their drink – that’s due to the fact that they have experienced a distinctly different feeling to their normal reaction to alcohol.

“But we’ve also received a small number of reports where people are telling us, as Zara has, that this has been associated with a pain or a mark on a part of their body, scratching sensation, and as though they have been physically spiked.”

The force has arrested a man as part of the wider operation to tackle spiking in Nottingham.

Female students plan boycott of nightclubs

Students from universities across the UK are organising a series of nightlife boycotts over the coming weeks in response to incidents and to raise awareness of the issue.

Larissa Kennedy, president of the National Union of Students (NUS), said: “It’s absolutely disgusting that in the past few days a number of students have reported instances of women being spiked on nights out.

“My rage, love and solidarity goes out to all those who have been impacted by these violent acts, and all other women and marginalised folks who experience sexual violence on our campuses and in our communities.”