Mothers are vowing never to take their children back to a children's play centre after pictures emerged of suspected black mould on its walls and ceilings.

Photographs shared on Facebook show patches of damp in the toilets a corridor in the Hippodrome in Herne Bay.

Canterbury City Council is launching an investigation after receiving a complaint about it.

But Fiona Rennie, who runs the centre with Teresa Hertzer, has reassured parents the building is regularly cleaned.

She also says the play area is unaffected by damp, despite claims online there was some in the ball pit.

Matilda Smith, who shared the images on the Herne Bay Chatter page, said she was “absolutely disgusted” by the condition of the Hippodrome.

“Will not be going to Herne Bay Hippodrome ever again,” she said. “I can’t believe they can let children play and eat around this!

“Mould everywhere! Absolutely disgusted! Nobody should be near this and certainly not children as it can make you seriously ill.”

Ms Smith believes the play centre should be closed until the mould is removed.

She said: “If there is mould in there, shut the place down until it gets itself sorted.

“They are clearly aware of this and the fact they haven’t shut the place until it gets sorted is beyond me.”

The Hippodrome caters for toddlers, as well as children over the age of four. It has a soft play area as well as a private hall on its first floor.

Ms Rennie says several of the pictures shared online are of a hallway that leads to a fire escape, where work is being carried out to remove the mould.

“It is not inside the actual children’s play area,” she said.

“It’s got a flight of stairs for the staff above it that has just been damp-proofed because there was a problem with it leaking.

“We’re just about to get the inside done as well.”

Pictures also show a hippo-shaped soap dish, which has been there for more than 20 years, covered in mould next to a basin.

Ms Rennie says removing it would involve extensive work and will, therefore, not be undertaken until the entire block is refurbished.

She also insists the Hippodrome has “never” received complaints about its cleanliness.

“We’re inspected by health and safety regularly and we’ve never had a problem,” she said. “We run a regular cleaning programme throughout the building.

“There’s also no mould in the ball pit – absolutely none. We clean it every two weeks; we have to do it by law. The place is gorgeous.”

Canterbury City Council spokesman Leo Whitlock says the local authority has received a complaint about the mould and will be opening an investigation into it.