A NIGHTCLUB has apologised after a wheelchair user was kicked out by security staff.

Tyler Paul was enjoying a night out with friends on the downstairs dancefloor of Legends on Saturday until he was allegedly forcibly removed by bouncers.

The 29-year-old, from Worthing, said the force used to remove him from the venue in Marine Parade, Kemp Town, was so strong that it “almost broke my arm”.

“This happened only because I am a wheelchair user, and this is unacceptable,” Tyler said.

“When we think how far we have come to achieve equality, but sadly people with disabilities are not welcomed to Legends Brighton.”

Tyler, who has cerebral palsy, was on a night out with a group of friends.

A video of the incident has since been shared on social media.

In a statement, Legends apologised for the incident, but claimed the footage “does not provide a complete picture”.

“We wanted this opportunity of saying how sorry we were that a valued customer and member of the community was not able to enjoy their Saturday night as they had planned,” it said.

“We want Legends to be a safe and inclusive space for everyone, but we need to be very clear regarding our duty of care to all our stakeholders.

“The social media coverage has made us sad and provides only a snapshot of what happened. Our basement night club is not a safe space for people with wheelchair supported mobility issues given the physical constraints of the building, which spans three centuries.

“There are three means of escape from the basement, supported by a robust Fire Risk Assessment but these are all by way of stairs, also the toilets on this level do not allow for wheelchair access.”

The nightclub said access to the club was not originally given to Tyler due to health and safety, but claim his friends carried him downstairs.

Tyler disputes this, claiming he walked down the stairs while holding onto a handrail.

The club spokesman said this caused a “serious safe-guarding issue”.

“When security became aware of this, the customer was approached and asked to return to the ground floor bar [which is equipped fully for disabled access].

“When the customer refused, with full professionalism, our security team assisted in returning him to the ground floor where he was encouraged to enjoy the rest of his evening.

“We believe this incident was filmed but the footage does not provide a complete picture, which is upsetting for all concerned; also, the suggestion that our actions were driven because the customer was disabled is simply not the case.”

The nightclub added that they paid full regard to the stipulations of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act.

“Even so we have reached out to this customer and invited him to meet with us; we are of course open to making further improvements which support all our patrons where it is reasonable so to do,” they added.