AN OUTRAGED body piercer says she was refused entry to a Worcester nightclub – because of her facial piercings.

Amber Martin was out celebrating a friend's 21st birthday when she tried to get into Sin, in New Street.

But, on arriving at the club with her friends on Friday night, she says the bouncer "point blank" refused her entry – suggesting she would only be allowed in if she took her piercings out.

"He was like 'no, not happening'," said Miss Martin, who has seven piercings in her nose and lips.

"When I then politely asked why, he said it was because of those 'things' in my face.

"I probed further and asked questions like 'so because of piercings you're not letting me in, is that right?'"

"He said yes."

Miss Martin, aged 20, has since received – and accepted – an apology from the bouncer privately on Facebook.

But she has heard nothing from Sin and is now demanding a public explanation from the nightclub's management.

She is now calling for other pierced-people to speak out against "negative judgement" and is being backed by the United Kingdom's Association of Professional Piercers (UKAPP), which says incidents of this kind are "discrimination".

Miss Martin, a professional piercer, who works at Fourleaf Clothing – just a door down from Sin – was so upset by what happened she cut her night short and went home.

"I was just so gobsmacked," she said. "I was really upset, it just put a downer on my night.

"I'm used to the occasional look and that doesn't really bother me.

"Being pierced or tattooed has never stopped me doing things in life."

Miss Martin, who lives in Cotswold Road, in Malvern, says her piercings are "form of self-expression", along with her experimentation with hair colour and tattoos.

She said she was dressed smartly on her night out and looks after her piercings, taking pride in wearing good-quality jewellery.

"I'm really disgusted, I just think – it's 2017, you do not need to be like this towards people any more," she said.

"There is so much hate in the world already.

"I want to encourage people to step forward and not put up with this because it is not something you need to put up with. I just really hope that this doesn't happen again."

Nici Holmes, president of the UKAPP, said she had suffered a similar experience.

"This is an issue many pierced and adorned people face, I myself have also been refused entry to places locally for similar reasons," she said.

"The UKAPP would regard body piercing as a form of self-expression and as such people who choose to have a nostril piercing should not be more or less discriminated against than someone choosing a pair of lobe piercings."

The Worcester News contacted Sin a number of times for a comment, but received no response.