A teenager has had emergency surgery to remove her stomach after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen.

Lancashire Police say the 18-year-old woman was out with friends in Lancaster on Thursday 4 October when it happened.

She is reported to have become breathless and developed severe stomach pain before being taken to hospital.

Officers say she would have died if doctors had not performed the urgent operation.

The woman, from Heysham in Lancashire, was taken to the Lancaster Royal Infirmary at 23:00 BST.

She was diagnosed with a perforated, or pierced stomach. The 18-year-old is now is a serious but stable condition.

Lancashire Police have not named the place where she bought the cocktail, but say it has stopped selling it: "The premises involved have fully cooperated with all agencies and have suspended drinks involving liquid nitrogen" a spokesperson said.

They say they are looking into what happened:

"The investigation is still in its early stages and we are still interviewing witnesses to establish the full facts".

The force told Newsbeat they have been warning other bars in the town about what has happened.

Liquid nitrogen, which evaporates at minus 196°C. has become increasingly common as a method for instantly freezing food and drinks or creating an impressive cloud of vapour
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But it should only ever be used as a method to chill glasses or freeze ingredients as it can cause internal damage when inhaled or ingested.

If swallowed, the liquid can freeze parts of the mouth, throat or stomach, causing severe cold burns which destroy the tissue.

The liquid can also rapidly boil inside the stomach, creating a huge amount of vapour which could potentially cause damage such as perforations.

I would like to know exactly where she bought it, if it was from a cocktail bar. Why would anyone sell something like that???