Alcohol misuse in Gloucestershire will be theme of a conference at Cheltenham Racecourse tomorrow (Friday November 18) which issues a stark safety warning in the run up to the Christmas party period.

The Gloucestershire Substance Action Groups County Conference will be attended by practitioners and action groups in the field. On the agenda will be the role of alcohol and drugs in rape and sexual assault cases.

Speaking on the subject is Dr Fiona Burton from the Forensic Science Service who will be outlining recent findings in cases of alleged drug facilitated sexual assault in the UK between January 2000 and December 2002.

Findings show that the actual number of sexual assault cases in the UK facilitated by deliberate drug spiking was very low and no evidence of the use of Rohypnol, the so-called 'date rape' drug was found. However, amongst samples surveyed a high incidence of alcohol and recreational drugs were detected. This suggests that a high percentage of victims might be putting themselves in a vulnerable position and could find themselves unable to interpret vital information whist under the influence of these substances.

Dr Fiona Burton from the Forensic Science Service said:

"These findings demonstrate the range of sedative drugs that can be encountered in the few deliberate spiking cases we found. But they also highlight the need for more education on the dangers of excessive alcohol and drug abuse and the need for more research on the issue of consent. As these results suggest, it seems more people are incapacitated through alcohol and drugs of abuse rather than the intervention of a third party. These are still important issues with regard to consent."

Alison Hustwitt from the Gloucestershire Drug and Alcohol Action team who has organised the conference said:

"Without putting a dampener on the Christmas and New Year festivities we would like to remind partygoers that binge drinking, drinking on an empty stomach and illicit drug use, especially in conjunction with alcohol, decreases mental alertness and thereby an individual's ability to give 'informed consent'."