AN 18-YEAR-OLD woman is warning others to be on their guard against spiking after she had a concerning experience while out drinking in St Helens town centre bars.

The teenager – who does not want to be identified – told the Star that after drinking in a few different bars in the town centre with her cousin and friends on Saturday, October 30, she started to "feel really weird" at about 11pm.

The girl explained: "I was completely fine for the first few hours and then after a while I started to feel really weird and like I was going to be sick.

"From that point on, I can't remember anything but my friends said I couldn't walk and my eyes were rolling back.

"My friends said they found me on my own and took me home where I was just being sick."

The 18-year-old went to hospital the following day after finding a strange, bumpy needle mark on her forearm.

St Helens Star: A needle mark on the girls arm after drinking in St Helens town centre

The girl was concerned after finding a strange, bumpy needle mark on her forearm

After spending more than six hours in hospital, doctors explained they could not confirm it was a spiking incident after carrying out numerous tests, and would have to test for a whole host of different drugs to do so.

The incident was reported to police who said they are looking into the CCTV cameras in the area.

At a Westminster Hall debate this month MPs were told there have been 280 cases of spiking with a needle in the past two months, compared to 2,600 recorded cases of drink spiking between 2015 and 2019 in the UK.

St Helens Star: (Pic: Hereford Times)(Pic: Hereford Times)

Politicians also heard there was an “information vacuum” on spiking with calls made for police chiefs across the country to convene to uncover the full extent of the issue.

Last month Merseyside Police said it had received reports across the region from 22 people who believe they had their drinks spiked or were injected with a needle.

The force said five of the incidents, which victims reported happening between September 1 and 22 October, remained under investigation.

There is no specific breakdown for these incidents via town, city or borough.

Commenting on the issue, community policing Superintendent Diane Pownall said: “Concerns have been raised over reports of spikings nationally and locally and we understand why hearing about incidents being reported in Merseyside will make people anxious.

“All reports of this nature received by Merseyside Police will be extensively investigated with officers looking at CCTV, as well as speaking to victims and potential witnesses, and looking into medical evidence.

“Our advice is if you think you have been spiked please come forward, as we can identify that is the case and then take the investigation forward and safeguard others who could be targeted.

“If you think a friend is acting out of character after having a drink and are concerned that they may have been spiked then please contact us or alert bar or door staff immediately.

"On the other hand, if you’ve had a really good night and you think your friend may be a bit worse for wear because you’ve had such a good night out then please make sure they get home safely."

The 18-year-old said that she raised the issue to warn others that this could happen here in St Helens, and suggested that searching clubbers may be an option to make women feel safer in clubs.