'Hollow' glass to combat spiking

The glass mat lights up when a drink is put on it.

A London design student has developed a hollow glass and glowing beer mats in an attempt to combat drink-spiking.

Tom Martin said his new glass stores liquid in a "safe compartment" around the edge of the glass making it difficult for the drink to be spiked.

Tom, a student at Brunel University, has also designed a glass mat which uses different coloured lights to warn people when a glass has been moved.

Both are on show at the Brunel Design Show, in west London, from 23-26 May.

The new glass is hollow in the middle so if anyone tried to spike the drink it would fall straight through to the bottom of the glass.

"Hollow (the name of his new design) may not completely prevent date rape assaults from happening but it is a step in the right direction," said Tom.

He said the glass was created after his friend became the victim of a drug-assisted assault.

The glass mat lights up when a drink is put on it, causing the glass to glow but if the glass is moved the light goes out.

Paul Turnock, design director at Brunel's School of Engineering and Design, said Tom had developed a "simple solution to the problem of drink spiking".