Kosi Orah, a 19-year-old University of Leicester student was celebrating his birthday with three other friends when he says the incident occured.

“Is it because we’re black?” one student asks the bouncer for Ghost Nightclub. “That’s what I’m saying,” the bouncer replies. “I’ve got no problem with you guys. If it was my club I’d have no problem, but it isn’t.

When asked if policy quoted by the bouncer was legal, he replies: “Sadly they’re allowed to make up whatever they want.”

A statement from the Ghost Nightclub said: “”We reiterate that we only have a shoes-only, 18-plus door policy.

“I urge people to take a look at our Facebook page to see that we welcome people from all walks of life.

“This is a 45-year-old business – the oldest nightclub in the city – which has been owned by the same family for all that time.

“We urge the group of students who were turned away to get in touch with the management of Ghost Nightclub so that we can resolve this.”

Orah told The Sun: “He was almost apologetic. But it was sickening. It left us devastated. It was like the kind of incident you heard about happening in parts of America in the 1960s.”

Leicestershire Police said: “The incident has been reported and recorded and inquiries are ongoing,” a police statement said.

“We take reports of racism extremely seriously and would encourage anyone who has been a victim of such a crime to contact us.”