A nightclub has had to defend itself after a recent update about avoiding spikings was slammed as victim blaming.
Glow Nightclub, on Mary Street in Lancashire, closed its doors on Wednesday night (October 27) following reports across the UK of women being spiked 'with needles', LancsLive reports.
Local nightclub The Sugarhouse, ran by the Lancaster University Students' Union, also closed to train bar and security staff.
It comes as the national Girls Night In boycott was held across the UK on Wednesday night, with clubs across the nation closing their doors in solidarity.
READ MORE: The night they said 'no more' - spiking protests held in Manchester and across the UK
But the Glow nightclub came under fire after sharing a list of written measures titled 'what we're asking of you'.
This included asking guests to understand why searches are necessary, to never leave drinks unattended, to be mindful of who is around you, to watch out for people in your group and stay informed on who they're with and where they are and to not take drugs before or after entering the venue.
The nightclub also shared eight 'steps' they are taking as a venue following the boycott, including plans for increased thorough searches upon entry.
They also vowed to remove any unattended drinks, no matter how full they are.
In response to sharing those five requests, Glow received backlash from guests who felt they were placing the responsibility of spiking onto victims.
Molly, a final year student at Lancaster University, told LancsLive she felt that closing in 'solidarity' was "all well and good" but felt the five requests put forward by Glow were "like asking girls not to get spiked."
Molly told LancsLive: "It's like saying if you get spiked, you probably left a drink unattended, or you had bare legs so its your fault.
"They should search every single person, they limit their capacity and the majority of their events are ticketed. I've never been checked before, they should do extensive searches and refuse entry to anyone who refuses to be searched.
"Being a woman on a night out means you're already hyperaware of what is going on around you," she said.
"We should just be able to go out, it shouldn't be our responsibility."
Paul Junior, Managing Director of Glow Nightclub, told Lancs Live: "We are all in this together. Nightclubs, Police, cctv operators, customers and any other nightlife workers.
"We all have to look out for each other and do all we can to stop this shameful act.
"Our post was not to point blame on anyone, it was just highlighting some of the things our customers can do to keep themselves safe alongside the venue safety measures we have in place. "
Alongside their posters, Glow Nightclub said: "Since operating this venue in 2016 we have never been contacted by the police, licensing or any local authorities with regards to alleged spiking inside our venue."
Charli Clement, also a student at Lancaster University, told Glow Nightclub: "Your 'solidarity' means absolutely nothing when you turn off comments on both Facebook and Instagram.
"Tell us how long your actions will take and stop putting so much pressure on the individual not to get spiked. Disgusting behaviour."
Charli went on to explain that the club "deserved" negative comments in response to their post, after disabling the function when asked for a timeline of the actions they were set to enforce in the venue.
Charli said: "They are victim blaming and there's no timeline on their actions.
"A lot of the list of measures they have presented will require significant levels of training and roles will need to be recruited.
"One night shut and one Instagram post does not fix this.
"No one is saying they are singularly responsible for this, but they are a huge part of it and they deserve to be put through accountability measures as a business with public responsibilities."
