A KENDAL fitness instructor is warning revellers to take care over the festive period after his drink was spiked during a night out in town.

Daniel Postlethwaite has spoken of his horror after spending his birthday night out on a drip at Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI), with doctors finding a drug in his system.

The 25-year-old, of Parkside Road, said the experience, “left my body in a complete mess, with chest and stomach cramps, and barely being able to breathe.”

Daniel has hit social media to slam the “cowardly, pathetic and dangerous” behaviour of the person behind it.

The public-spirited personal trainer also said he wants to “find the people responsible for the safety of the town.”

“I’m doing this because this could be potentially fatal for someone else if the people behind it aren’t caught,” he said.

Daniel said the night out on Saturday started at his house before he and several friends went to Ruskins on Stricklandgate at around 11pm.

They then headed to Bootleggers, on Finkle Street, at around 11.30pm.

“When I was in there I took a sip of my first drink – a rum and coke that my friend bought me – and I got a really bad feeling in my stomach and chest,” he remembered.

“I knew there was something not right so I didn’t touch that drink again –I had quite a bit of water and was fine.”

The group went to The Dun Horse on Stramongate for “a couple more drinks” but Daniel described getting back to his room at home and “almost collapsing.”

“I felt really bad – I couldn’t feel my legs, I couldn’t see, it was as though my body was rejecting something and shutting down.”

Daniel’s family called an ambulance and he was taken to RLI, where he spent the night on a drip.

The exact drug in his system will not be identified unless a blood sample is taken.

The police are aware of the incident, and Daniel is taking advice from an officer, as well as asking some bars to look at their CCTV footage of that night.

He is also appealing for anyone out on Saturday night who noticed anything suspicious to come forward.

“It was a bit of a shock and it’s something I never want to go through again – the scariest thing is not knowing the reason for it or who it was meant for,” Daniel said.

“I don’t know whether it’s someone targeting me, someone having a bit of a joke, or whether it was meant for my girlfriend who was stood next to me.”

Daniel is hoping CCTV footage and word of mouth will help him find out what happened that night, but he is urging people to drink out of bottles and not leave drinks unattended.

“You shouldn’t have to be really careful because you want to enjoy yourself when you go out, but if people are capable of doing that then it’s important to be aware.

“I usually have my drink in my hand, but in a busy bar you’re shoulder to shoulder with people.

“Even a slight lapse in concentration means it wouldn’t be difficult to slip something in your drink.”

Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service’s North Service Manager Helen Davies reiterated Daniel’s advice to never leave drinks unattended.

“It’s difficult because these places are often very busy and unfortunately just drinking alcohol is going to up your risk.

“There are things you can do like keeping your thumb over your drink and using ‘Spikeys’ – an anti spiking drinks stopper – but its more about being vigilant.”

Ms Davies said it was difficult to know what people’s motives were, but warned, “To people who think it would be funny, think about the potential consequences.

“You don’t know how that person’s going to react and it could be really dangerous if it affects them badly.”

According to the NHS, alcohol is the most common substance used to spike drinks, but drugs used for spiking include the powerful anaesthetic ketamine and tranquilisers including valium and rohypnol, which has been nicknamed the ‘date rape drug’.

Spiking drinks is a serious offence that carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison, and it is estimated that 11 per cent of victims nationally are men.

Cumbria Police said incidents of drink spiking in the county were “rare”

However Sergeant Jo Smith, South Cumbria Community Safety, said: “We would always advise everyone to keep an eye on your drink and only accept drinks from those you trust.

“We also would warn anyone who would contemplate spiking a person’s drink that this behaviour will not be tolerated in this county.

“If you feel you have been spiked we would advise you to report it to police as soon as you can so we can make inquiries into bringing any offenders to justice.”

Martin Caffrey, Operations Director of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Association, said bar staff should always be on the look-out for “anything unusual.”

However, he said: “In reality, there’s little a licensee can do to take responsibility for a third party who would do such a thing.”