A teenager claims he was made to wait more than 40 minutes in the rain due to "gender discrimination" at a Dartford nightclub.

Aaron Cudge, 19, of Days Lane in Sidcup, told News Shopper that when he arrived at Atik Dartford on Friday (November 9) he had to queue outside while girls were separated into a different line and let straight in.

He said that because of this, he felt discriminated against because of his gender.

"In today's day and age, I find it shocking and appalling that this kind of gender discrimination is taking place and it would have certainly been interesting to have seen the reaction if the procedure was reversed," he said.

Aaron claimed he and many others, according to what he witnessed, decided to leave the queue and call it a night.

"No explanation for this was provided and having been forced to wait in the rain and cold for over 40 minutes, it was hardly surprising that many people chose to leave the queue and go home, including myself," he said.

When asked to comment on these claims, a spokesperson for Atik Dartford said: “The safety of our customers is our number one priority so they can enjoy a fun, carefree night out. As such, we operate a strict door policy and split the queue by gender to ensure same-sex searches are carried out.

"This may give the impression that women are being prioritised when it comes to entry, but that is not the case.”

Aaron added: "Whatever the reason behind what they've done, at the end of the day they're still treating people differently on that, on gender.

"Whatever their reason behind it, that's still unacceptable."

Atik Dartford officially opened on October 26 and replaces the previous Air & Breathe nightclub which occupied the building previously.