A CHARITY set up in memory of murdered hostess Lucie Blackman has warned women smokers to take care that their drinks are not spiked when they go outside for a cigarette now the smoking ban is in force.

Lucie's dad Tim Blackman, from the Isle of Wight, spoke of his fears that the ban on smoking in bars could leave women vulnerable to sexual attacks.

The smoking ban comes on the seventh anniversary of 21-year-old Lucie's death in Tokyo, Japan.

Mr Blackman, of Ryde, said: ''Lucie's last day involved her having her drink spiked, then being attacked, and then being killed.

''It's a sobering thought for anyone who doesn't consider their own personal safety an issue.'' A trust set up in memory of Miss Blackman, which gives advice to young people on how to stay safe, has drawn up a set of guidelines to help smokers avoid problems.

Matt Searle, the trust's police liaison officer, said: ''It's not just drink spiking that you have to be aware of.

''We've heard of one incident in Scotland where a young woman was raped in a bus shelter during heavy rain. She'd left friends in a pub to come outside for a cigarette.'' Miss Blackman, from Sevenoaks, Kent, disappeared in July 2000 while working as a bar hostess in the Roppongi bar district of Tokyo.

Her dismembered body was discovered in a cave just 100 yards from Japanese businessman Joji Obara's apartment after a seven-month search in 2001.