A woman who was found semi-conscious on a bathroom floor in a Sidmouth pub was hospitalised after she claimed her drink was spiked.

The 27-year-old’s family are now calling on others to be careful and not leave their drinks unattended on a night out.

The woman’s grandmother Jan Jones, of Baker Close, Sidmouth contacted the Herald after she learnt what had happened.

Jan said her granddaughter, who preferred not to be named, had gone out on a night out with her friends on Saturday to The Marine, on The Esplanade. When half of the group left, to move on, a few stayed behind.

Jan said the second half of the group went to leave but could not find her granddaughter. They were told she had been spotted leaving, so they all moved on.

When the friends realised the woman was missing, they rang her husband. Speaking to the Herald, the woman’s husband described it as the most ‘terrifying’ night of his life. He said: “I was called by one of my wife’s friends at first. They were concerned because they couldn’t find her and didn’t know where she was.

“They went back to The Marine, which was locking up, while I drove to Sidmouth. The staff were adamant she wasn’t there but her friends insisted they check, which is when she was found in the toilets. She had been sick quite a lot and was semi-conscious.

“When I arrived she wasn’t able to speak and hardly able to breath, she was shaking to the point she was almost fitting.

“I had only dropped her off two hours beforehand and she was completely sober. My wife and her friends told me she’d only had three drinks.

“It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life, turning up and finding her barely able to breath.”

Staff called an ambulance and the woman was taken to hospital. She was released at 6am and spent the following days recovering at home.

Her husband said: “We want to get that message out there - be careful wherever you are. It can even happen in smaller towns, not just cities.”

Sarah Borrett, landlady at The Marine, said she found the woman, while doing her closing checks. She said they did everything they could to help and asked the couple to get in touch in with the test results for their own peace of mind.

“We take pride in trying to make sure everyone is safe in our pub,” she added.