A YORK hotel boss has spoken out about the mess and chaos caused by drunken racegoers during the Ebor meeting.

Philip Down, owner of the Quality Hotel, in Piccadilly, said half a dozen of his 100 rooms were left in a mess, despite tight security measures, including patrols of hotel corridors all night long.

But he claimed that another hotel just across the road, the Travelodge, had suffered considerably worse problems, including guests throwing bottles out of the windows. He said he hoped to meet Travelodge management to discuss ways of improving security further in the street during next year's meeting.

Mr Down said: "There was a problem with the general atmosphere - the screaming and shouting in the street. There was a nasty feeling."

Police said they had been called out on a number of occasions to the hotels in Piccadilly, although a spokesman stressed that they had been dealing largely with what he viewed as "minor disorder" problems involving guests.

A spokesman said police had been called on one occasion to the Travelodge after items had been thrown out of windows, on another when there had been problems with guests apparently refusing to leave. and on a third when a window had been hanging loose.

Steps had been taken to protect pedestrians until engineers were able to fix it.

A Travelodge spokesman said the hotel had experienced high spirits and boisterous behaviour during the race meeting, as anticipated, but had not experienced major problems or significant damage.

"We think we were well-prepared for this event. What happened was expected to happen," he said. "But if Mr Down wishes to meet us about next year's event, we are more than happy to meet and share our expertise with him."

Updated: 09:45 Saturday, August 24, 2002