A BOURNEMOUTH nightclub has launched a new women-only safe space inside the venue.

Cameo's 'Ladies Lounge' is a separate area in the club, run by all women, where female guests can 'have a drink and feel at ease'.

It was due to open for the first time last night having been set up for those who are experiencing heightened fear and anxiety following widespread reporting of alleged drink spiking.

The club’s general manager Marc Fear said: “Everyone should feel safe on a night out, and they should feel safe in our club.

"We work hard to create a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment so that all our guests can enjoy a fun night out and will do everything we can to protect that right.

"Women, in particular, are feeling vulnerable right now, so we have created this lounge area where they can relax and buy a drink from the bar that is exclusively staffed by female members of our team."

Nationally, almost 200 drink spiking incidents have been reported to police forces across the UK over the past two months.

Mr Fear said: "Our anti-spiking devices will be freely available, as they are throughout the venue, and entry to the room will be managed by members of our security team who all wear bodycams.

“While these incidents are incredibly rare, we take all reports of drink spiking very seriously.

"Our teams are fully trained on the issue and have the support of our onsite medics, we operate our ‘We Care’ policy and support the ‘Ask Angela’ scheme.

"As well as offering anti-spiking devices to all of our guests, we operate 100 per cent searches on entry, which also includes metal detector wands – which we’ve tested and they do pick up items as small as needles – ID scanners and metal detector arches.

"We have extensive CCTV coverage throughout the venue and our security teams wear bodycams and we will pass on footage to the Police to help with any investigation. Anyone who is suspected of spiking will be detained and handed over to the police."

Providing guidance on raising concerns at the club, a Cameo spokesperson said: “We would encourage anyone who sees suspicious behaviour, or suspects they have been a victim of spiking, to seek immediate assistance from a member of staff or security, who are trained to help and who also have the support of our onsite first aiders.

"We would also encourage them to contact police and seek medical advice, so that any allegation can be properly investigated.”