'It's terrifying': Spiking victim shares experience as Lincolnshire Police sees rise in reports

• Watch Emma Wilkinson's report.

Lincolnshire Police has said it's seen a rise in people reporting being spiked since the nighttime economy reopened and students returned to university.

It's had eight direct reports this month, with more coming in since they appealed for people to come forward.

The force says it arrested a 35-year-old man at 3am on Friday in connection with an attempted drink-spiking at a nightclub in Lincoln. The suspected offence “doesn’t involve a needle”, the force said.

Welcoming the arrest, Lincolnshire’s police and crime commissioner Marc Jones said:

There is increasing anxiety amongst some about drinks being spiked, as well as concerns over reports of people being injected in some parts of the UK. Some students feel preventative action is well overdue.

When Georgia from Lincoln felt a spike on her arm in a club in Leeds, she immediately suspected someone may have tried to inject her with drugs. She says it's impossible to know exactly what happened, but doctors recommended she have blood tests and a course of injections to protect to against hepatitis B.

Georgia said: "Women have been given the responsibility of, 'watch your drinks, don't go off with strangers, do this, do that.

"And now it's got to the point where it's like, look, we literally can't do anything, unless you wear a stab proof vest and a full armour suit, there's nothing we can do, it's terrifying."

Police are also working with venues on how they can help. Some already have measures like drinks covers, drug testing kits and the Ask for Angela scheme where people can discreetly request help if they feel unsafe.