A Darlington venue is doing it's bit to tackle a ‘spiking problem’ in the town by introducing special drinks covers, called Cup Condoms.

In the lead up to Christmas and new year as the town gets busier, people may feel more vulnerable than usual when on a night out and so Avalon has responded to the rise in spiking.

Two months ago, the popular bar on Blackwellgate brought in Cup Condoms, in order to try and reduce incidents of spiking in the area.

The owner said the town in general has a problem with spiking and so felt compelled to do something about it.

The Northern Echo: The 'Cup Condoms' have gone down a storm so farThe 'Cup Condoms' have gone down a storm so far (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Read more: Darlington pub celebrates five years of trading and thanks customers for loyalty

Lindsey Stephenson, owner of Avalon, told The Northern Echo: “I’ve seen a massive increase in spiking in Darlington and as Avalon is so popular with young people I felt that we should be going the extra mile to prevent spiking.

“I was flicking through Instagram and came across the Cup Condoms and thought it was a great idea. We spent £1000 on them ourselves and we announced we’d be giving them out for free and they’ve just gone down a storm.

“I don’t think Avalon specifically has a problem with spiking but you do hear stories from people in Darlington getting spiked so I thought this was a way to just make people feel a bit more safe about going out on a night.

“We encourage everyone to take one (cup condom) and to keep it with them for when they leave and go to another bar. We want to keep people safe and that doesn’t mean they should only feel safe in Avalon.

“The response we’ve had since we started doing this has been amazing so I think we’ll continue giving them out at the bar. Also, it’s not just girls and women who want them, plenty of men have taken them too and said what a great idea they are.

“People shouldn’t have to worry about it when they’re trying to just have a good night out and enjoy themselves so I hope this makes them feel a bit more relaxed.”

The Northern Echo: Lindsey Stephenson has been thrilled out how popular the 'Cup Condoms' have beenLindsey Stephenson has been thrilled out how popular the 'Cup Condoms' have been (Image: Stuart Boulton)

The Northern Echo: Staff at Avalon have been shocked at just how popular the drinks covers have beenStaff at Avalon have been shocked at just how popular the drinks covers have been (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Read next:

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to The Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here.