Anti-spiking kits are being handed out to students at the University of Kent to combat reports of sexual assault on campus.

The university’s nightclub, the Venue, is dishing out the detection strips to customers who fear they may have been spiked.

Funding for the kits was secured by the Student Union as it looks to reduce incidences of sexual assault on campus.

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The vice-president of welfare, Clara Lee, said: “We wanted to make sure our students are safe at Venue.

“As well as ensuring people’s drinks are safe, it acts as a deterrent to people who spike drinks.

“Anecdotally, I’ve heard a few cases across the year of people being spiked. We haven’t had any positive results yet.”

The kits are being trialled this term, with plans to make more available for Freshers’ Week in September. They are left behind bars and free to clubbers, with staff encouraged to carry put random checks on people’s drinks.

The strips turn orange or blue when they detect something untoward.

Their rollout is part of a wider effort to reduce cases of sexual misconduct on campus.

Venue has been running the Ask for Angela programme, which allows people who are being harassed to approach bar staff or a member of security to be placed into a secure environment. In addition, Ms Lee and the president of the Student Union, Ruth Wilkinson, successfully lobbied for a female sexual assault adviser to work on campus.

“We needed this because college masters used to deal with any cases of sexual assault,” Ms Lee added.

“The problem with that is they’re predominantly men – there’s only one female master on the Canterbury campus. Victims aren’t going to feel comfortable going to a male master if they’ve been sexually assaulted.

“Bartenders at Venue are also trained to keep an eye on people ordering doubles, rather than singles. This is because a common form of spiking is through giving people more alcohol, rather than drugs.”

Lily Dedman, Kent Union’s women’s officer says she has been made aware of “about four or five cases of sexual assault on campus”.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a bigger issue here than on any other campus, but it’s one that needs to be tackled as soon as people arrive at Kent,” she added.