A community pub has apologised and launched an investigation after a customer claimed they experienced “racist microaggressions”.

A woman who visited The Bevy in Moulsecoomb with friends claimed to have faced “racism and hatred” when going to the pub for the first time yesterday evening.

In a post on a community Facebook noticeboard the woman - a student at the Univerity of Brighton, said that some black members of the group visiting the pub experienced “microaggressions”.

She said that black members of her group were greeted with fist bumps and were stared at while at the pub. She encouraged other people of colour not to visit.

The woman said: “We were constantly greeted with fist bumps, whereas the white people in our group received nothing of the sort. We were stared at and disregarded when we asked questions.

“As young people in this neighbourhood, we wanted to give The Bevy a chance, because we are so used to going into town, but unfortunately we were met with racism and hatred.

“I seriously recommend every person of colour, especially black people, not to go to The Bevy.”

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The pub responded by saying it has launched an investigation and said that the woman’s experience “goes against everything that our community pub stands for”.

The Argus spoke to the manager of the pub, who said they are taking the allegations “very seriously”.

A spokesman for the pub said: “It’s crucial to The Bevy that everyone who comes into our pub feels comfortable.

“Without going into the specifics of this particular incident, which we are investigating at the moment, it is clear that a group of people certainly didn’t feel that.

“This is an issue and we can learn from this and work out how our pub can be an even more welcoming place.

“We are very sorry that this situation has arisen.”

The community-owned pub, the only one of its kind in the city, has been praised in the past for offering a drop-in centre, family-friendly activities, and a “seniors' club” with a raffle and bingo.

Profits made by the pub are reinvested into the projects they run and support.

Founded in 2012, The Bevy also claims to be the only community-run pub on a housing estate in the UK.