A Harrietsham landlord has hit out at negative online reviewers after getting into a row with an unhappy customer on Facebook.

Kevin de Young admitted he was wrong in the way he responded to Mia Scaramastra-Sharp’s scathing one-star review but said it was frustrating she had not complained in person.

She vented on The Ringlestone Inn’s profile after having a meal there and complaining about the wine, which was meant to be dry but was too sweet for her taste.

She wrote: “I had a terrible experience at the restaurant today – disgusting attitude from the manager.

"She was so rude when we asked them to take a glass back.

"I’ve never experienced anything quite like it and will never be returning.”

She added the pub had “nearly refused to split the bill and charged for tap water”, to which Mr de Young responded: “How can we nearly refuse to split the bill? We either did or we didn’t. Der.”

His comments were criticised by a number of people as rude and unprofessional.

Mr de Young, who has been at the helm with his partner for 10 years, said: “We gave her another glass and didn’t charge her for the first one. As for the bill situation, we can’t do separate ones unless asked beforehand.

“We need to be on social media but there has been a definite rise in negativity" - Kevin de Young

“She left a £10 tip and never said anything to me. When I saw the review pop up I couldn’t help but respond.

"It was stupid and my wife had a go at me. I hate Facebook and I’m never going on it again.”

The 55-year-old has been in the trade for 40 years and says the use of social media is a Catch 22 situation.

“We need to be on social media but there has been a definite rise in negativity," he said.

“Trip Advisor used to be bad too, with people making anonymous complaints and getting very personal. It’s not like having a proper conversation with someone.

“We are only a small business and negative stuff could ruin us, but when it’s online we can’t do anything about it."