An anti-spiking test scheme which set out to crackdown on the hideous crime has seen such success it may now be rolled out across the country.

The six-week pilot started in December and was led by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), which worked with the police, the SOS wellbeing bus and selected clubs and bars.

Test kits, made available through Norwich bars, took urine samples from people who believed they had been spiked through injection or a drink to be analysed by experts at the hospital.

Pilot creator Michelle Frost, a biomedical scientist at the NNUH, said: "The pilot has exceeded expectations.

"Pre-pilot reported spiking incidents were at an all-time high but since the implementation of the campaign, reports in incidents have dropped.

"This is great for public reassurance and it may mean those performing the acts of spiking have been deterred.

"The more people who know about the service, the more people we can help and the more we can find out about the true prevalence of spiking.

“All data we gain will help us to build a true picture of the actual prevalence and compounds in use. We have designed the kits to reduce all reporting barriers, as far as we can, which helps with the reporting of cases.”

According to a hospital spokeswoman in the middle of December there were 90 incidences of spiking across Norfolk since the beginning of October 2021.

She added: "It has been reassuring to see that fewer people in Norwich have potentially been spiked as compared to pre-campaign figures."

She said the roll-out would go to King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth and possibly the rest of the country.

Ed Brown, Norfolk Police chief inspector, said the force fully supported the trial and continued to work with pubs and clubs.

He added: “We have seen how successful this pilot has been and the reassurance it has given to those who not only believe they may have been spiked, but to those who may be anxious about going out in the night-time economy.

"We encourage victims to report the matter to police."