THE man at the centre of a row over the sudden closure of the Kursaal function suite claims he will repay customers left out of pocket.

Matthew Chambers, who ran the venue with his wife, Catherine, has been accused of leaving customers in the lurch after the suite was shut down without warning.

He said a deal was in place to sell the business, but, when that collapsed, he had little option but to remove the equipment and fixtures.

He added: “It was very hard to warn customers that we were leaving. The whole situation sucked the life out of us.”

The couple passed details of bookings to the Park View Suite in Chalkwell, which has been in touch with customers with a view to rearranging their events.

The Thorpe Bay Rotary Club is one of those to have moved its party to the Chalkwell venue.

A club spokesman said: “They have offered us an alternative and I’m glad to say we haven’t lost out at all.”

Mr Chambers claims he has begun to refund some money.

He said: “Customers who haven’t taken up the Park View offer should get in contact with me via email. I have already paid back a vast amount from my own money.”

A spokesman for Southend Council said: “We have had two complaints from people regarding the Kursaal function suite.

However, it is is a civil law dispute so it’s something we can’t act on.

“People have been advised to contact the Insolvency Service.”

The Park View Suite declined to comment.

Smithy’s pub, in Eastern Esplanade, Southend, has also offered its premises as an alternative venue to those still in need.

The venue, DJ and security will be free of charge, but people will need to provide their own food.

Anyone interested can call Neil Wheeler on 01702 616341.

The Davies Dance Centre in Leigh can also provide an alternative venue. Call 07766 540757 for more information.