The closure of a town centre bingo hall has left players devastated and 'heartbroken'.

Mecca Bingo in Sittingbourne High Street will shut on Sunday, August 17 after the firm took the decision not to renew its lease on the iconic art deco building.

Operations director John Dyson said: “We’re sad to confirm that our Mecca club will be closing.

“It’s a tough decision to say goodbye, but one we’ve reluctantly had to make because the lease on the site is ending.

“Mecca has been a part of the local community for nearly 50 years, and we want to say a huge thank you to every single one of our incredible customers – our team will miss you very much.”

The company operates 76 bingo clubs across the UK, and since opening its Sittingbourne branch in 1973, has given away more than £28 million in prize money at the venue.

It offered slot machines, live entertainment and food and drink alongside traditional bingo games.

It occupies the former Odeon Cinema building, which was built in 1937 and is now shared by the bingo hall and New Century Cinema.

Swale Borough Council has confirmed that there are currently no future plans for the building after it closes next month.

Players have been left shocked and gutted by the announcement.

Sittingbourne resident Helen MacDonald, 48, said the news left her heartbroken.

She said: “I didn’t know anyone when I first moved here 15 years ago.

“I was a single mum with five kids, and Mecca was the first place I went where I could socialise and meet people.

“Heartbroken is an understatement and I’m worried about all the staff as over the years they’ve all been amazing I have so many memories here.”

Shirley Redfern, 48, who is also from Sittingbourne, has been using the hall for 20 years.

She said: “It is such a shame that it is closing because there is nowhere else near here to play bingo.

“I assume the decision is due to the fact that lockdown hit them hard but we need to get over lockdown now.”

A member of staff at Mecca, who did not wish to be named, said: “They told us that it is costing more to run the building than the money they were making.

“We’re all losing our jobs and they’re offering us a one-to-one chat to make sure we feel comfortable trying to find new ones elsewhere.”

Emma Jansen, 49, from Staplehurst Road, Sittingbourne, said: “I’m really sad to hear this news.

“Where are we going to play now?”

The venue has been dishing out prizes to punters for nearly 50 years.

In 2002 one lucky grandad from Sheppey walked away with more than £110,000 after scooping the national prize.

Mecca in Sittingbourne is the latest in a number of bingo halls to shut in Kent in recent years.

Last year, the Buzz Bingo club in Chatham closed and last month plans were revealed for it to be replaced by housing.

Ashford council is also looking to redevelop the town’s former Mecca bingo hall in the High Street – which, like the Sittingbourne venue, also opened as an Odeon cinema in the 1930s – after it bought by the site in 2018.

Beacon Bingo club in Margate closed in 2019 despite protests.

And it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Sittingbourne’s hall and its players.

In 2016 the venue’s roof canopy collapsed due to pigeon waste.

And just a few years later, like many businesses, Mecca was heavily impacted by the pandemic.

The company had to shut its doors until July 2020 and when it reopened it implemented are things like hand washing and safety measures to keep staff and players safe from Covid.

Mr Dyson added: “The last two years have been tough for everyone.

“And the hospitality industry has been particularly hard hit.

“It’s meant that many businesses have reluctantly had to make some hard decisions. While our Sittingbourne club will be closing, we are in discussions with the team and hope that many will accept alternative opportunities within our wider business.”