HOTELIER and businessman Safaa Al-Khudairi wants to reopen Margate Caves, closed by Thanet council because they were deemed a safety risk.

He is asking the council to either agree to a lease of at least 20 years, or sell them so he can invest up to £250,000 in the historic tourist attraction.

Mr Al-Khudairi ran the caves in Northdown Road from 2003 until their closure.

He said: "The caves are run down and the buildings [above ground] dilapidated. I want to make them secure and more attractive to visitors."

Mr Al-Khudairi lives in London but has considerable property interests in Margate. He owns the Pavilion View Hotel opposite the Winter Gardens and Leigh House in Ethelbert Road, as well as the Blue Lebanon Restaurant.

The caves were first come across accidentally by a gardener in 1798 and are believed to be of Saxon origin. They were carved out of chalk and through the centuries are rumoured to have been used as a smugglers’ hideaway, a prison and a secret place of worship.

Ward councillors Iris Johnston and John Watkins are angry that the former attraction was shut for the summer season pending health and safety, structural engineering and geology reports.

They said that problems affecting the opening of the caves were highlighted earlier in the year and are concerned that they were not tackled sooner.

A report to the council cabinet has said that it would cost £48,000 to reopen the attraction and instead favours spending £26,000 to "safely close the caves". Closure was recommended because of a perceived lack of a strong business case for further investment.

Cllrs Johnston and Watkins are demanding that the council meet its obligations to not only reinstate the caves but also make good the site which is now covered in weeds and rubbish.