A FURIOUS mother claims she was turned away from a Worcester nightclub because she was too fat.

Kim Curtis - a size 24 - says she was refused entry to Bushwackers in Trinity Street, but other, slimmer women were let in.

The owner of the nightclub says its policy is only to accept 'smart people' but the club has hit the headlines before for turning large people away.

Mrs Curtis, aged 30, said: "I am overweight but I can't believe this discrimination." She was one of a group of 18 people from Worcester's Reality call centre out celebrating a 21st birthday.

She said there were 'four fat people' in the group who were refused entry to the club.

"Whereas we got stopped at the door, the slim girls, sizes 10 and 12, all got let in," she said. "The doorman said, 'You can't come in, sorry but we're full', but then he let in a lot of other people.

"I said, 'I thought you said you were full' and he said, 'We're not anymore'.

"I asked, 'Is it just because we're too fat?' And he replied, 'Yeah, it might be'.

"I've never experienced anything like it."

Mother-of-one Mrs Curtis, of Gardners Close, Brickfields, said the group went to another nightclub instead, were let in and ended up having a good night.

The co-owner of Bushwackers, Darren Pinches, said his staff did not discriminate on weight grounds.

"We've got a lot of rules and we try to get a very smart clientele," said Mr Pinches. "We have a policy for smart people, like most places.

"It's quite usual for pubs. We haven't got a policy in terms of weight or being too old, but you will not be let in if you've had too much to drink.

"This group gave the doorman a lot of verbal and stick on the door and upset him quite a bit."

However, Mrs Curtis said the group merely "argued politely".

In 2000, a 21-stone bride-to-be was turned away from Bushwack-ers, and claimed it was because she was too fat.

At that time Mr Pinches said: "It's all down to looks. We turn away people who don't fit that image."