A duo who run popular escape rooms in Kent must leave one premises following “serious breaches of contract,” their landlord says.

Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Council has refused to renew the lease for Escapement in Broadstairs because the “tenant no longer presents a credible asset to the taxpayer”.

But owners Lewis Hunt and Mica Dougan, who have recently taken on the well-known Canterbury Tales attraction from the Church of England, deny any wrongdoing.

The pair say they are “deeply saddened” after being told they must leave the Albion Street venue within three months.

But they stressed other businesses, including their Cliftonville branch, remain unaffected.

“Due to a number of serious breaches of contract, the council has decided it can no longer support the tenancy and has agreed not to renew the lease when it expires,” a council spokesperson said.

“Our main priority has to be protecting the interests of the local taxpayer and unfortunately, this tenant no longer presents a credible asset to the taxpayer.

“The decision has therefore been made that the lease will not be renewed."

Owners Lewis Hunt and Mica Dougan claim issues with the building including “hidden bomb shelters and condemned power supplies” meant they did not open until 2022.

In a heartfelt Facebook post and video the couple - whose Cliftonville escape room shares the same name, said: “We are deeply saddened to announce the upcoming closure of our Broadstairs venue.

“As many of you know, we secured our lease in Broadstairs in 2019, and faced many unexpected challenges, outside of our control, including the discovery of bomb shelters and severe power issues which delayed our opening until 2022.

“Despite these obstacles, when we finally opened we quickly matched the success of our sister branch in Margate - going from strength to strength and our experiences were recognised with a prestigious award.

“Unfortunately, recent unexpected actions by our landlord have forced us into a difficult position.

“Despite assurances of a lease extension that would allow us to operate for the full term we initially signed up for, we have now been given just three months to leave the premises.

“This is through no fault of our own and is fairly sudden.”

The pair have also recently taken on Canterbury Tales as an educational interactive experience.

Located inside 900-year-old St Margaret’s Church, it will remain unaffected along with their other escape room.

The post continued: “We fought hard to extend our time here, but without success.

“This means we must say goodbye to Atlantis, Operation Quartz, and Captcha Code, which will be moving to a new home in the USA later in the year.

“Thank you for all your support, it has meant everything to us.

“Please visit us in Broadstairs before we close to create a few more unforgettable memories.”