The owner of Deal’s new nightclub has responded to some of the negative feedback received after its opening.

The Ocean Rooms, formerly Rivals, opened its doors for the first time in more than a year on Good Friday.

In the weeks before, owner Paul Blair, of Media Leisure, made no secret of the cost of the initial revamp being “mid six figures”. He also spoke about an awe-inspiring lights display.

However, on Saturday morning, the Queen Street establishment came under fire on social media with many customers complaining about the carpets, bathrooms, bar staff, waiting times and drink prices, among other issues.

"It was ill-treated and nobody had taken any care of it” - Paul Blair, Owner

Laura-Scoob Castle said on Facebook: “The toilets were the most shocking. Still the same graffiti, broken toilet seat lids and cheap, sandpaper toilet roll, of which most cubicles had none. Most decent clubs put time and effort into their bathrooms.”

Andy Smith said: “It took me 30 minutes to get served. Why not have a vending machine for bottled drinks? It will drastically ease the pressure on the bar.”

The club issued a response on its Facebook page.

Mr Blair told KentOnline: “We have had no problems at all since Friday. We brought in more bar staff and carried out regular toilet checks.

"The problem we’ve got is we’ve taken on a derelict building. It was ill-treated and nobody had taken any care of it.”

In order to make it safe – and at the last minute – Mr Blair had to replace every light in the building, which he had not foreseen.

His team also had to carry out significant repairs to the roof and plumbing and electrical systems.

He said: “It’s stuff you can’t see. We’ve had up to 20 workmen in every day for five weeks.”

They had been knocking walls down, getting rid of damp and replacing ceilings.

He said: “We’ve just been cleaning up after someone else.”

Mr Blair assured customers the downstairs carpet had been replaced and carpets in both the bar and upstairs would be changed soon, along with elements in the female toilets.

He said: “It’s ongoing. We’ve spent an absolute fortune and we’re going to continue to spend until it’s right.”