After a spate of spineless drink spiking incidents in the city another Norwich venue has cracked down on the crime.

Epic Studios in Magdalen Street has joined Prince of Wales bar Cans 'N' Cocktails in introducing foil-lined plastic lids - called StopTopps - as a preventative measure against the action.

General manager Laura Rycroft said the drink toppers are being predominantly used by women and gives them extra peace of mind to enjoy their night out.

Epic Studios has had one instance where a clubber asked for CCTV footage to be sent to the police after believing they had been spiked in August, but Ms Rycroft said the venue had not heard any more about the incident since.

Ms Rycroft said: "It's a concern and it's men as well. Anyone can be spiked and everyone should be able to go out and enjoy their night.

"We have got CCTV at the bar and all our staff are vigilant of it, especially in the dark environment where a slight tip of the hand can cause it."

The general manager added that it can sometimes be difficult to know if someone has been spiked or simply had too much to drink.

But she added: "There is that public concern. I would like to see people feeling safe without having those concerns, but it is unfortunately the world we live in now."

The StopTopps are produced by SOS Global in Essex, and are recyclable.

A statement by Epic Studios added that the venue was aware of an increased concern in drink spiking taking place across the local area.

It added: "We take this extremely seriously. For your safety, we have introduced StopTopps at the bar which are designed to minimise the risk of an opportunist spiking your drink.

Andre Smith, owner of Cans 'N' Cocktails bar in Prince of Wales Road, was inspired to introduce the StopTopps in response to recent reports of drink spiking in the Evening News.

He said: "They have had a positive take-up so far. We have had people coming into the club who saw the Evening News article and thought it's really good."