Home Secretary Priti Patel has called for an update from police following a number of cases where women have been reported being injected with a needle in nightclubs.

Across the country, there has been a spate of reports of women being drugged while on a night out, and groups of students are now calling for people to boycott nightclubs to ensure the “spiking outbreak is taken seriously”.

In Nottinghamshire, police are investigating a number of reports of women suspecting their drink has been spiked including a “small number” who claim to have been injected.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested as part of the investigation and has been bailed with conditions.

He was arrested following a report of an incident in Lower Parliament Street, Nottingham city centre, on 16 October 2021.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has asked for an update and a Home Office source said: “This is absolutely awful. We have asked for an update from the police on this and would encourage anyone to report this behaviour to the police.”

One girl wrote on Facebook that her sister was out at Stealth club in Nottingham when she “felt a pinch on the back of her arm and someone had spiked her with a needle”.

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She continued: “Luckily her friends were with her, as she didn’t remember anything after that. An ambulance took her to A&E where she was put on a drip and had numerous tests done.”

She added that her is sister is now “okay”.

Superintendent Kathryn Craner, of Nottinghamshire Police, said the force is investigating reports of people suspecting their drinks have been spiked, and a “small number of victims have said that they may have felt a scratching sensation as if someone may have spiked them physically”.

Supt Craner added that officers are carrying out CCTV enquiries at a number of reported venues and she wants to “reassure the public”.

“We do not believe that these are targeted incidents; they are distinctly different from anything we have seen previously as victims have disclosed a physical scratch type sensation before feeling very unwell,” she added.

“This is subtly different from feelings of intoxication through alcohol according to some victims.”

Stealth nightclub said in a statement that in recent weeks, two of its customers had “reported feeling unwell and suspected they may have been spiked”.

It added that both were seen by an on-site medic, were appropriately looked after and were able to safely leave the venue, and it is liaising with police to aid the investigations.

Incidents of spiking have also been reported in Glasgow, Londonderry in Northern Ireland and Devon and Cornwall Police has warned of girls being spiked at house parties.

Police in Northern Ireland confirmed officers were called to Foyle Street on 16 October after a teenage girl believed that her drinks had been spiked and was taken to hospital.

The force said it was also aware of a related post on social media claiming “several individuals had their drinks spiked in the city during the weekend”.

The spate of recent cases has sparked a huge student movement calling for people to boycott nightclubs.

One campaign first set up in Edinburgh, called Girls Night In, now has at least 25 groups, run by students, set up in university towns.

One, called Girls Night In Nottingham, has called for people to boycott nightclubs on 27 October to ensure the “spiking outbreak is taken seriously”.

A post shared by Girls Night In (@girlsnightinnottingham)

It told Sky News the boycott has been planned on a popular student night “as a statement to them to show the power we hold”.

“We believe that by raising awareness of the dangers of spiking, we hope to break the stigma surrounding ‘Girls just getting too drunk’,” the group added.

On its Instagram page, which has more than 9,000 followers, it calls for clubs and bars to increase their entry security and for premises to provide free drinks protection, a medical centre and a safe way to get home.

At least 13 other Girls Night In groups in various parts of the UK have also organised boycotts on various dates between 25 October and 3 November, including Edinburgh, Newcastle, Brighton and Durham.

Alongside the planned boycotts, a petition, set up back in April, has recently seen a surge in the number of signatures it has received, with more than 122,000 people signing it.

It is calling for the government to make it law that nightclubs must search guests on arrival and prevent harmful weapons entering the premises.

As it has received more than 100,000 signatures, parliament will consider the topic for a debate and issue a response.

People who believe they have been a victim of drink spiking are encouraged to contact their local police.

Sky News has contacted Devon and Cornwall Police and Police Scotland for comment.

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