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Spiked drinks and other London, United Kingdom Warning Or Danger Tips

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London Warning or Danger Tips by planxty

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planxty   
Where's the bar?


Real Name: fergy
Lives In: London, UK
Member Since: Jan 09, 2005
VT Rank: 296

 
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London Warnings Or Dangers
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Warnings Or Dangers: Spiked drinks
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  • Written by planxty on Jan 9, 2005
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  • A problem ( not specific to London by any means) is "spiking" of drinks in bars / nightclubs.

    By "spiking" I don't mean slipping an extra vodka in an orange juice, but the use of seriously strong sedatives such as Rohypnol, with the victims then being taken somewhere and sexually assaulted. In some cases, the women are not even aware of what has happened until much later.

    The advice is never to accept drinks from strangers unless you see them poured yourself by the barstaff, never leave your drink unattended and be careful.

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    Website: http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/azhealthtopics/a/daterapedrgfaq.htm
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    Taxis: Bogus minicabs
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  • Written by planxty on Jan 9, 2005
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  • A problem in London is unlicensed minicabs which hang about outside bars and nightclubs especially in the centre and tout for business.

    There are several problems with this. Firstly, the vast majority of them are not covered by insurance for "hire and reward" i.e. taking paying passengers, so if you are unfortunate enough to have an accident you are not covered.

    Secondly, if they do manage to get you to where you want to go, they charge extortionate fares, and can be quite "forceful" about collecting the money.

    The third, and most serious danger, is that of sexual assault on women. Police in London estimate that on average one woman per week is raped by a bogus minicab driver. 91% of women attacked is under 35 years old, and 50% of them under 24. These bogus drivers deliberately target women who are obviously a little drunk, and who are on their own.

    The advice is simple - DON'T DO IT.

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    Website: http://www.met.police.uk/sapphire/feature2.htm
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    Food Vendors: Hot dog sellers
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  • Written by planxty on Jan 18, 2005
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  • Do not be tempted into buying hot dogs or burgers from any of the street vendors that plague the West End of London.

    They are unlicensed and therefore unregulated and the standards of food preparation and hygeine would, quite frankly, make your hair stand on end. I know a number of people who have become very ill after eating from these stalls.

    There are plenty of proper eating places in town, open all hours, and you really should have no need to resort to using these vendors.

    As a side issue, most of the vendors are controlled by Eastern European criminals (and treated pretty appallingly by them). Many of the vendors are illegal immigrantsrun by "Gang bosses." Not only are you running the risk of sickness, you are also supposting organised criminal activity.

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    Warnings Or Dangers: Gigarette rip off 1.
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  • Written by planxty on Jun 9, 2005
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  • London - Cigarette machine, London.
  • Cigarette machine, London.
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  • If, like me, you are a smoker, do not be tempted to buy cigarettes from the machines in pubs or restaurants. The packets sold are invariably packs of 16 as opposed to the normal 20, and you will pay well over the odds for them. The best place to buy cigarettes is in supermarkets, whose prices are low due to the economies of scale, or, failing that, newsagents or off-licences.

    For example, I currently (as of June 2005) pay about £4:95 for 20 Marlboro lights in a supermarket. I was in a pub yesterday where a pack of 16 was £5:35.

    Work it out yourselves!

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    Warnings Or Dangers: Dodgy cigarettes.
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  • Written by planxty on Jun 9, 2005
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  • Be aware of people offering you very cheap cigarettes, normally outside Tube stations (Whitechapel is particularly bad). Most of the people involved in this are either Eastern European or Chinese (who tend to work Central London more)..

    These cigarettes will be one of two things. They are either illegally imported, in which case you run a (slight) cahnce of getting in trouble with the authorities, or else they are completely counterfeit cigarettes in whch case they are even more harmful than ordinary cigarettes, containing frightening levels of chemicals.

    Have a look at the linked website, or do your own research.

    Believe me, I'm a smoker, and I'm appalled by the amount of duty imposed by the Government on tobacco products, but I just wouldn't touch these things.

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    Website: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1504355,00.html
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    Comments for planxty about London
    wise23girl Tue Jun 2, 2009 20:50 UTC
     Knowledge makes a place special. You begin to feel you have an insight into the real London and what happened to the people..for a minute you are not a tourist but feel the history as your own. Marg
    jumpingwithnorman Wed May 27, 2009 07:13 UTC
     Hi, Fergy. Thanks for the warnings/tips on your London page.. My bro's going there soon. I'll have to visit too... ciao, Nannette
    Trekki Sun May 10, 2009 17:41 UTC
     What a fantastic collection of excellent and helpful tips for London, Fergy :-)) Next time I come I will visit several places of your off path section :-) Ah yes, the worshipful companies in the City, makes up for an excellent hunting .-)
    Luchonda Sat Feb 28, 2009 21:50 UTC
     Thx for the danger tips in London. Greetz from belgium
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