Spooky season is well underway and like many businesses, Adventure Kidz in Aylesford is getting into the Halloween spirit.

But the play centre off London Road has issued an apology after mums complained a Slipknot mask worn by a staff member was scaring children.

In a widely shared post on Facebook, Charlotte Nolan, from Eccles, said she had taken her son to the popular venue at Quarry Wood Retail Park yesterday.

She said she was shocked when a worker donned a mask and began playfully chasing children in the soft play area.

The costume was initially thought to be of Leatherface, a character from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. It is actually the mask worn by Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor when the band released its 2008 album All Hope Is Gone.

Mrs Nolan said:"He walked around the tables and then was accompanied by a rather graphic skeleton zombie character into the actual soft play area where the children were a lot of children were crying and visibly upset."

Mrs Nolan told Kent Online: "I think the costume was completely inappropriate being in a soft play area for 10 years and below.

"They were completely off the mark. There are plenty more appropriate costumes they could wear, they could have done Frankenstein or Dracula, they just didn't need a man in a mask."

Adventure Kidz owner Andrew Moody told Kent Online they had earlier announced staff dressed as monsters for Halloween on Facebook Live. He said customers were warned again via the tannoy system before anyone in costume entered the play area.

He added the soft play area can also be used by people up to their teens and costumes worn were of a kind widely available in most shops.

Mr Moody said: "The incident was dealt with within five minutes, the company have apologised and that was it from start to finish.

After the complaint, Mr Moody issued an apology on Facebook but said he and his staff had been the subject of abusive posts and comments.

"I honestly feel bullying my staff is from my point of view just not on.

"This is unacceptable and has to stop."