SMOKERS in York are being warned they face an increased risk of having their drinks spiked when the smoking ban in pubs and clubs comes into force.

Fears have been raised that cases of drink spiking - and drug rape - could increase as a result of the national ban, which comes into force in July.

Graham Rhodes, a partner at the Roofie Foundation, a national drug rape charity based in Knaresborough, said: "It's going to lead to increased danger for a lot of people.

"When the smoking ban happened in Scotland, we had an increase of around 20 per cent of people reporting drink spiking.

"We said at the time that it was going to happen and, sure enough, it did.

"If you want to go outside and have a fag, finish your drink first and then come back and have another drink."

Mr Rhodes, from Tockwith, near York, said drug rape accounted for 30 per cent of drink spiking. The other 70 per cent of cases were robbery, malevolence and sick jokes.

John Lacy, licensing manager at the City of York Council, said the risk of drink spiking would increase, but it was rare in York and unattended drinks were more likely to be stolen.

He said: "As people go out for a smoke, there is an opportunity there for drinks to be spiked if they are left unattended. But if you're in a nightclub and you're paying £4 a drink, I think more are going to be stolen than anything else.

"There is nothing to stop you from going out into the street to have a cigarette, but you can't take your drink outside with you.

"That is a difficulty a lot of premises are going to have and that is why there have been a number of applications for outdoor drinking areas."

He said the council had been "inundated" with such applications.

Tony Sissons, the new president of York's Licensed Victuallers' Association and landlord of The Three Cranes, in St Sampson's Square, said he believed drink spiking would increase when the law changes.

He said: "We run a town centre local pub, so it's quite easy to keep an eye on what's going on within the pub.

"But if you're a big, young person's venue, where drink spiking is already more prominent, there's a lot more chance of it happening because people will be leaving their drinks lying about.

"I know it does go on in York because I've spoken to people who say it has happened to them.

"I'm sure it will raise its head come July 1."

For more information about the dangers of drink spiking, visit the Roofie Foundation website www.roofie.com

Case study

Knaresborough solicitor Lynda Greenwood, who co-founded the Roofie Foundation in 1997, claims she was raped after her drink was spiked by a male friend in a York wine bar.

She said a male companion, who she had been out with several times but made clear they were just friends, spiked her glass of wine with an unidentified drug during a night out.

She woke the next morning, naked and confused. Slowly, over the next few days, the events of that night came back to her.

She told The Press: "I didn't start using the word rape' straight away. I used to say things like, he took advantage of me'."

Ms Greenwood said victims of such a crime often had nowhere to turn so she set up the Roofie Foundation to help.