Kasbah nightclub hand out ‘unsafe’ contraceptives to Freshers

Students who visited Kasbah nightclub were given condoms labelled ‘not recommended for use’. The condoms were part of promotional gift packs offered by the Coventry nightclub to first-year students starting university.

Kasbah posted promotional photos of the contraceptives on their official Facebook page, along with the tagline “get some lovin’”, ahead of this year’s events.

Coventry Integrated Sexual Health Service, run by the NHS, has said that a CE European Standards mark, a British Standards kite mark, an expiry date and a batch number should be present on all contraception.

Thousands of the condoms were handed out, none of which featured safety markings, and according to city health bosses, “could fail if used”.

There have been some warnings not to use the contraceptives, and certain people have criticised the club, saying that they have put students at risk.

Coventry City Councillor Damian Gannon tweeted: “This is incredibly irresponsible, how on earth does this promote licensing objectives?”

Kasbah responded to criticism by claiming that the contraceptives were harmless, and explaining that the condoms had been sourced from a “reputable manufacturer.”

The club commented: “The [condoms] are a novelty item given out for promotional purposes and clearly state ‘not recommended for use’.”

“Kasbah is very conscious of the important role we play in maintaining the safety of young people visiting our venue and would never do anything to put this at risk.”

Daniel Cross, second-year Mathematics student said: ‘I doubt it is clearly stated, and even if it is, intoxicated students may not notice it when it comes to the moment it is required, but still use it as it would be to hand. Even if they aren’t breaking any laws it’s still a risk to students.’