Twenty- three people were arrested after hundreds of protesters stormed the kennels in a vain bid to free the beagles. At one stage an angry crowd pelted police with bricks and stones.At the time police confirmed that riot police and CS spray were used "to restore order ... One middle-aged woman who suffers from severe arthritis and cancer claims a policeman hit her in the chest with a riot shield and then sprayed the liquid directly into her throat from a few inches in front of her face.She was among eight people treated by paramedics at the scene. Others are believed to have consulted lawyers and the civil-liberties group Liberty.

At least 12 demonstrators, mainly women, were affected by the spray and others claim they were hit by riot police wielding batons during the trouble at Consort Kennels which breeds beagles for vivisection.Eyewitnesses claim officers fired the spray without warning above the heads of a crowd trying to stop a van carrying people who had been arrested. The incident at Ross-on-Wye, near Hereford, three weeks ago, is believed to have been the first at which police have used the spray - introduced for personal protection - in a public-order situation. The police deny it was used indiscriminately and say it was for their officers' personal protection and safety. Two demonstrators say they will sue Hereford and Worcester police for alleged assault. Lawyers acting for protesters injured when police cleared an animal- rights rally have made formal complaints over the action, including the alleged indiscriminate use of the controversial CS spray. It is suspected in a further 200 cases.The tablets are used with alcohol, for coming off a cocaine high, and as a substitute for heroin, and are said to be popular in schools as a party drug.In March Florida introduced a bill making Rohypnol an illegal substance on a par with heroin, with life sentences for major traffickers.Since 1995, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has seized 225,000 doses of the drug in Florida.Prosecutors say it is difficult bringing cases because victims "don't remember a thing".. The Miami Poison Unit has 100 recorded cases of rape where Rohypnol was used.