A minute’s silence has been held to pay tribute to a clubber who died after a night out in Deal.

Michael Bowes, 25, from Margate, had been partying at Rivals nightclub on Saturday, August 10, and after getting involved in a disturbance outside, he collapsed and later died at the QEQM hospital.

Staff at Rivals asked customers to observe the silence as a sign of respect for Mr Bowes, who lived at King Street, Margate.

A statement, released by the club’s management team, said: “At midnight on Saturday, Rivals nightclub held a one minute’s silence to respect the untimely death of Michael Bowes, who passed away on Sunday August 11 at QEQM in Margate.

“At 12 o’clock the music was interrupted and the announcement was made.

There was complete silence, you could hear a pin drop and everyone was very respectful. “The music continued at a lower level for a while.

“It certainly made people think about life and how fragile it can be.

“It was a while before the party atmosphere returned.”

Three security staff were arrested while police investigated his death.

They were released without charge, bailed until November.

At the time the Mercury went to press, it was not known if an inquest had been opened into his death.