The former director of a first-of-a-kind events centre which shut seven months after opening has blamed a "scaremongering government" and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Richard Carerra, of the The Green Room in Earl Street, Maidstone, says the business was "broken" by constant Covid restrictions, which saw it miss out on £500,000 of profit.

Alongside co-directors Matt Shead and Chris Ansell plans for the venue were unveiled in January last year and it eventually opened its doors to members of the public in May after a long wait.

However, lockdown and hospitality restrictions meant the Unity Parties Ltd, which took over the venue from Pizza Express, was forced into liquidation in December.

The Green Room, a five-storey building, boasted live music, a whisky room, members’-only cocktail bar, pizza restaurant, record shop and radio station.

Former director Richard Carerra said: "We shut down in December after missing out on around 90% of bookings due to restrictions and the government's constant scaremongering.

"Every business in Maidstone was affected but as a new one we were really hit hard. It wasn't feasible for us to carry on.

"We couldn't afford to keep the building or project going, which is a real shame.

"Had we done it a year later I think we would still be going strong - it was a gamble and we didn't get lucky with the timing of things."

The building has been handed back to Caxtons property management.

The mysterious closure of the venue was highlighted this week after news Pizza Express was returning to Earl Street, but at a different location.

Its phone number and website are not active, while the venue was looking dark, lifeless and empty when a reporter visited it.

The Green Room's Facebook page has been sharing content for Mr Carerra's most recent venture - a free music festival in Surrey.