Police are investigating an incident of suspected needle spiking that took place in Newcastle Emlyn earlier this month.

The news comes as the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) was reported as saying that there had been hundreds of reports of spiking, both by drink and by needle, across the UK in the past couple of months.

Dyfed-Powys Police said: “We are investigating a report of suspected spiking by needle in Newcastle Emlyn on Saturday, November 13. Enquiries are ongoing.”

NPCC figures reported by the BBC said that there had been about 140 confirmed reports in September and October of drink spiking, and 24 reports of injections.

It said the ‘concerning number’ included both men and women, with the majority of cases involving young women.

Ceredigion county councillor for Newcastle Emlyn, Cllr Hazel Evans, said that the report was "disturbing".

“We do need to work with police to sort this out at an early stage,” she said. “Newcastle Emlyn is a nice town. We don’t want to start getting things like this. We’ve never had this problem before. It’s very disturbing”

Dyfed-Powys Police advises people to never leave drinks unattended, to never take a drink that they haven’t seen prepared and to leave a drink if it doesn’t taste right.

The advice is to be vigilant when drinking with strangers, to let friends know where you are if you get separated from them on a night out and, if you are planning to leave a venue with new company, to introduce them to friends and tell them where you are going.

The force also recommends being ‘drink buddies’, keeping an eye out for friends, making sure they are okay if they appear to be more drunk than expected, dizzy or slurring their words, and to get medical help or help to get home safely if concerned.

“If you or your friends start to feel strange or unwell then you should get help and seek medical advice straight away,” says safety advice issued by the force.

For more advice on how to stay safe from spiking visit: www.talktofrank.com/news/spiking

Mid and West Wales politician Joyce Watson MS recently revealed how she had her drink spiked while at a friend's pub close to her home 39 years ago.