AS THE government announces the presence of a virulent tree disease in Essex, the owner of an award-winning nursery has taken the drastic decision to burn all of his stock to prevent the infection from spreading.

Paul King, who owns King & Co Nurseries in Dunmow Road, Rayne, does not believe that enough has been done by the government to stop the spread of ash dieback, caused by a fungus called Chalara fraxinea. As a result, he has burned £10,000 worth of ash tree stock in an attempt to help quell the crisis in Essex.

"We knew what was coming so we reduced our stock of all ash trees," he said. "But ultimately we have taken the strategic decision to remove them all from our stock. We are pre-empting the problem."

The disease, which was first recognised in England in March, causes leaf loss and crown dieback and can kill the tree. It is responsible for the death of 90 per cent of ash trees in Denmark.

Mr King added: "What I think will happen is that the government will eventually establish disease-free zones and within these zones we will be able to continue trading in ash, so we want to be in one of these disease-free zones.

"Ash is one of the main native trees in the UK and most planting schemes would incorporate a certain amount of ash."

The disease has now been confirmed in trees at 14 nurseries, 36 planting sites and 32 forests and woodlands across the UK and was confirmed in Essex by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson on Monday, although the exact location was not revealed.

After the announcement Mr King, who has owned King & Co for 35 years, spent two days burning around 200 of his trees.

"I'm a grower so I'm only looking at the bio-security of our nurseries and I want to be sure that we are not vulnerable to any disease coming in," he said.

"Trees are perishable so we are not un-used to taking a hit here and there, although this is one of the biggest hits we have had. It's one of the hazards of this game."

Mr King is also advising gardeners and landowners to take action to stop the disease spreading.

He said: "The general advice I would give is to rake ash leaves up and burn them because the disease is spread by the spores that can be found on them."

Imports of ash trees were banned as of October 29.

AFTER a £3 million revamp the new custody suite at Chelmsford Police Station is due to open next week.

Criminals in Chelmsford will no longer have to be sent to Rayleigh or Braintree to be held in custody after the 18-month refurbishment of the suite in Chelmsford is complete.

The new custody area, which has seen the number of cells increased from 11 to 15, has a state-of-the-art computer system called Genesys.

This enables any custody sergeant to electronically oversee any aspect of the suite, including controlling the lights and, if necessary, stopping the toilet from flushing to preserve any evidence that may be disposed of that way.

Inspector Debbie Grafton, who has worked in the custody centre for six years, said: "Previously, Chelmsford was a modern dungeon really. We now have all these things that are important for us to have just a bit more control.

"Obviously our main concern is the care of detainees. They have only been arrested – not charged, so they are not necessarily even criminals."

Among the new cells is one "dry cell" which does not have a toilet and has a glass door for easy visibility in case a detainee is at risk of self-harm. There are now also disabled toilet facilities and a separate kitchen.

"We have a duty of care for people that come in," said Inspector Grafton. "There is a high number of people who are addicted to drugs or are alcohol dependant and there's a very high proportion of people suffering from mental health problems and we need to make sure that we look after them."

The cell doors have also been modernised with a transparent panel at the side for officers to be aware of where a person is.

Inspector Grafton said: "Some people who you give a cup of coffee to in here throw it straight back, or fill it with worse and then throw it back. So this is great because you might just like to have a little look first to see where they are – although the walls do scrub very well."

The new cells are now also all equipped with touch pad communication and automatic alarms.

For the 11 custody sergeants and 11 custody detention officers, the improvements are set to make their challenging job that much easier.

Chief Inspector Joe Wrigley said: "Chelmsford is a city with one of the busiest nighttime economies in the county. Its custody suite is one of the most central and accessible in Essex so we needed to increase provision to meet demand.

"The new suite means that police officers can patrol the town in a more efficient way, returning to the streets more quickly after taking a detainee to a local suite rather than having to travel to another."

VOLUNTEERS braved icy winds and wet conditions to take part in a community-run beach clean at Bradwell-on-Sea.

The clear-up, organised by the county council's Essex Coastal Wardens scheme, aims to improve the district's coastline.

Emma Webb, the project leader, said: "The day was absolutely fantastic and we had about 30 volunteers turn up.

"Having people come along and take part is absolutely vital to the beach clean, we couldn't do it without them."

After meeting at the Othona Community, the volunteers headed to the shore armed with wheelbarrows, bin-bags and picking-sticks.

"We filled about five wheelbarrows, which is 25 black bags worth. We found the remains of an old boat, a massive fishing net which could have been really dangerous and also a perfectly preserved 1940s milk bottle.

"Litter is a huge problem along our coasts.

"It doesn't just look unpleasant, it can harm and even kill some of our best-loved marine wildlife including seabirds, turtles and whales who mistake marine litter for food and eat it.

"In many cases, this has resulted in starvation, poisoning or entanglement and ultimately a slow, painful death."

Ms Webb, from Maldon, was delighted to be doing something on her doorstep.

She said: "I really wanted to do something in Bradwell and these events allow members of the community to get involved and make a difference in their local area."

With more than 350 miles of coastline, Essex has one of the longest coastlines in England.

In October, the conservation volunteers working on behalf of Essex County Council launched the Essex Coastal Wardens Scheme to engage communities with their beaches through hands-on activities.

"It was beautiful in the morning at Bradwell," said Ms Webb.

"But it got colder during the afternoon and rained, so we all warmed up with a hot drink and biscuits.

"Our next local event is at Heybridge Basin on December 22 so if people are fed up with Christmas TV they can come along and help and I'm sure there'll be mince pies on offer too."

For more information about the scheme visit www.tcv.org.uk/essex

A PUBLIC consultation will begin on Monday for home-owners in Witham who have been told the grass in their road will be asphalted over to make an access road to a new development.

Residents in Teign Drive, Witham, are furious that the council has decided that building a road through their quiet cul-de-sac is the best option for a new affordable housing development.

As part of the Local Development Framework, Braintree District Council has been tasked with building 4,600 new houses in the district by 2026. Fifty of these have been proposed for land off Blunts Hall Road, adjacent to Teign Drive.

Janet Shepherd, 61, who has lived in Teign Drive for nearly 40 years, said: "We had a letter about three weeks ago to say that the council had concluded that ours was the best road and dismissed any others."

More than 70 residents attended a public meeting in April about the proposals, many of whom walked out in protest.

"We feel the same as we did before – we don't want it," said Janet. "I replied to that letter saying that we are not at all happy about the situation.

"Priti Patel came down to meet us all and said, why should your lives be disrupted because that's the cheapest option? She told us to keep fighting."

And now the residents are working together to try to stop Braintree District Council tearing up their road.

"We have all got our own little jobs to do – in fact, right now, I'm going through land sales on the internet to try to find something out about that piece of land being specifically left for recreational purposes.

"We will do anything to stop it."

Councillor Bill Rose, who has supported the residents in their opposition to the plans, said: "Residents are vehemently opposed to this. Insurance will go up because the garages will have to come down. There is another access route, but they don't want to do that because it will cost more. The next stage is November 12."

Braintree district councillor and Witham town mayor, Michael Lager, added: "If people do have opinions about how to get to this land – and they do have opinions – the sooner they let the council know the better."

STANSTED is not just a regional airport but a national asset, ambitious about the future and a catalyst for economic growth and productivity.

It's also the largest single-site employer in the East of England, employing more than 10,000 people across 200 companies and pumping more than £400 million a year into the local economy in wages and salaries alone.

Today, Stansted's Employment and Skills Academy hosts its third jobs fair of the year, with about 100 jobs in a wide variety of roles on offer, at Enterprise House between 10am and 3pm.

As unemployment in the UK rises above 2.5 million and with one in five young people now out of work, this is a fantastic opportunity for Stansted to play its part in helping young people take the first steps on the career ladder, or supporting those looking to get back into employment.

The Academy provides a first class walk-in facility for anyone seeking employment at the airport, wanting to improve their skills, or get connected with apprenticeship opportunities.

It's an integral and vital part of the airport community, opening the door to more opportunities and giving more people across the region access to the wide variety of jobs and careers on offer at Stansted.

Through the work of the Academy, or Stansted's extensive community engagement programme, I regularly meet and talk to large numbers of young people from across the region.

They often fall into two extreme categories: those youngsters who have been told, while at school, that the job market is very tough and that there are no jobs out there, so many don't even bother looking for jobs after finishing their studies; and those who come out of university or college expecting to get a senior manager's role and instantly earn at least £15 to £20 per hour.

For those youngsters, dealing with the realities can be very daunting and sometimes difficult for them to comprehend.

Also, a significant number of young people are not fully aware of the potential opportunities that even a lower grade or paid job can bring.

The concept of proving themselves and working their way up to a managerial position is often not recognised by some and overlooked by many.

With so many different companies based at the airport, the opportunities to progress are boundless, but unfortunately many young people will risk disappointment and miss out if they don't act.

This is where the Stansted Academy comes into its own.

To help job seekers, the Academy offers a number of free training programmes, including a free vocational training programme for young people who are not in employment, education or training.

The courses cover a range of subjects including retail, customer service and sales, and involve modules on preparing for employment, working as part of a team, CV writing and interview techniques.

They even include a free lunch and travel.

Once completed, the Academy team help job seekers apply for various roles across the airport.

For those worried about the cost of the daily commute, help is also on hand.

The Airport Travelcard provides huge savings and discounted travel on bus, coach and train routes for all on-airport employees.

For example, a monthly Travelcard from Harlow (available for train or bus travel), Braintree, Saffron Walden or Chelmsford to the airport is only £52 per month and allows for unlimited use.

All potential job applicants are advised of the discounts, as are the local job centres.

To sum up; many young job seekers are confused by mixed messages and often give up before they even start.

By organising job fairs, attending numerous careers events and facilitating school and college visits to Stansted, we continue to promote the employment opportunities available at the airport.

Our overall aim is to get more local young people to 'discover' careers at the airport.

For more information or to find out more about jobs at Stansted Airport, visit www.stanstedair portacademy.com, or e-mail stanstedacademy@urbanfutures. org.uk.

PHOENIX had their full squad back and were up against a side that have been struggling in the league.

The first goalscoring chance fell to Phoenix when Tom Short's drag flick from a short corner was denied by the post.

Crostyx were the next to win a short corner and this time it was successfully converted thanks to an unfortunate deflection from a Phoenix stick which put it beyond the keeper.

Phoenix upped their game as the half went on and managed to pull level thanks to a goal from Alistair Bevitt-Smith.

Towards the end of the half Phoenix started to pass the ball to more effect and they were awarded with their second goal this time from Kevin Cox.

In the second half Phoenix stepped up their game, and gradually found more space in various areas of the pitch and it was not long into the second half before they made it 3-1 through Rob Marshall.

Phoenix continued to create chances and there were a couple of occasions where Phoenix found themselves one on one with the Crostyx keeper but could not capitalise.

Phoenix scored there fourth thanks to a deflection from a short corner thanks to Nick Anning.

Having started the season with a win Phoenix Ladies then lost six games, but on Saturday they went to Harlow and stopped the run with a convincing 6-1 victory.

Kind-hearted builders have replaced a plaque stolen from Brentwood's war memorial free of charge.

As first reported in the Gazette on October 31, thieves stole the plaque, which bore the names of some of those servicemen who died during the Second World War, at some point before October 30, when Brentwood Borough Council reported the theft to Essex Police.

Following the theft, the council contacted historical builders Bakers of Danbury to repair the cenotaph - which can be found at the junction of Shenfield Road and Middleton Hall Lane - in time for Remembrance Sunday.

Now, in an unexpected gesture, the firm has agreed to waive its fee for carrying out the work.

The news emerged in a letter circulated to all members of the council by its asset and technical manager Adrian Tidbury.

Mr Tidbury wrote: "I have received a call from Bakers advising me that the replacement plaque has been fitted and further morem as a mark of their generosity and disgust over the theft, have offered to fund the replacement plaque as a mark of their respect for the memorial."

"I have thanked Bakers on behalf of the council for their generosity." 

 A DRUG smuggler has been jailed after he was caught at Stansted Airport trying to bring £1,700 worth of cannabis into the UK.

Alfonso Artaechevarria, 52, of Cadiz, Spain, appeared for sentencing at Isleworth Crown Court on November 8 after admitting a charge of drug smuggling at an earlier hearing.

The Spaniard was stopped by Border Force officers at Stansted late at night on  September 12 when he arrived on a flight from Jerez.

He was questioned at passport control and arrested after officers suspected he had swallowed drugs.

Artaechevarria consented to an X-ray and was taken to Harlow's Princess Alexandra Hospital where the scan revealed a number of packages in his abdomen.

He subsequently admitted to officers that he had swallowed some packages of cannabis.

He was taken into custody where he subsequently passed 64 packages containing a total of 590gs of the Class B drug.

Peter Avery, from Border Force, said: "Even when, as in this case, the potential rewards are relatively small, some people are still prepared to go to extreme lengths to smuggle illegal drugs on to the UK's streets.

"It is a reminder to those who would buy cannabis of the unpleasant reality of how it is often brought into the UK – inside drugs mules.

"We are serious about tackling the criminals responsible for bringing illegal drugs into Britain and this case should serve as a warning to others."

Artaechevarria was jailed for six months.

MALDON Crystal Salt Company has celebrated its 130th birthday by compiling a cookbook written by 60 acclaimed chefs.

The firm teamed up with the Academy of Culinary Arts to produce the book, Desert Island Dishes.

Chefs including Rick Stein, Gary Rhodes and the three Michelin-starred Albert Roux all wrote recipes they could not live without using the historic Essex salt.

Steve Osborne, fourth generation owner of Maldon Salt, said: "We're all absolutely thrilled to be celebrating such a milestone.

"We're proud of our heritage and this year we have had the additional accolade of receiving the Royal Warrant.

"We wanted to celebrate such a big birthday with something special and thought that a cookbook would be a great way to show our affiliation with the Academy of Culinary Arts at the same time.

"As you can imagine, I have grown up using Maldon sea salt so enjoy it on and in everything. My favourites include Maldon salted roast potatoes and on a fresh tomato and mozzarella salad."

Since Delia Smith first used the salt on her cookery show and in her books, the product has become an institution, and the company provides sea salt flakes to more than 45 countries around the world, including the US and Israel.

The business, based in Wycke Hill, has seen its little white box line the kitchen shelves of prime ministers, Hollywood stars and of course home cooks.

Food critic and Maldon enthusiast Jay Rayner, who wrote the introduction for the book, said: "Maldon salt is one of the tightest links between the amateur and the professional kitchen, it is the salt others are measured by.

"If proof were needed take a look at the remarkable list of great cooks who have contributed to this book."

The book contains 80 recipes, from starters to desserts. Maldon Salt is donating part of the proceeds to the Academy of Culinary Arts.

The company has been an associate member of the academy for nearly ten years, in which time it has committed to the education and training of young people in the hospitality industry.

Mr Osborne said: "We owe much of our success to the chefs and professionals in many kitchens so we're keen to continue our support for the industry.

"I think the fact we use mainly traditional methods to produce the salt makes it popular and of course, the fact it is completely natural."

WHEN Angela Chittock needed to help pay for her son's wedding she avoided borrowing money from high street banks.

Instead the 67-year-old from Kelvedon turned to a not-for-profit credit union, which offers members safe, low-interest loans, to support her son Stuart, 31, from Colchester.

She is just one of 1,200 savers to borrow from Holdfast, a Witham-based credit union with collection points in Braintree, Chelmsford and Kelvedon.

The idea is that members borrow small sums of money, at interest rates as low as two per cent a month, against their savings.

When a member first joins Holdfast they can borrow double their savings and the next year they are allowed to borrow three times the amount in their account.

Ms Chittock said: "They came to our local church and that's where I pay in my savings.

"I don't think many people know about it but if you want a loan you start off with a low amount and then the next loan you get a bit more.

"My son got married last year and some of what I have saved went to help pay towards his wedding.

"At the moment I have a loan so I have to pay that off each week.

"I only found out about it because a friend was already in it. I still do normal banking but this is just for savings."

The union currently holds £550,000 worth of savings and typical loans range from £50 to £500.

Graham Dennison, chairman of Holdfast, which is run by 28 volunteers and three part-time staff, said: "It's for all types of people but generally we aim for people who would not be able to get a loan anywhere else.

"There's so many loan sharks out there and so many people who have no credit rating or a very checkered credit rating.

"But we don't care about credit rating – savers can build up a credit rating with us. We make sure they don't over exert themselves and think ahead."

Essex County Council is currently promoting credit unions and recently granted £70,000 to Credit Unions Together, a group of four credit unions covering the whole county.

Barbara Donovan, a 66-year-old from Witham, has used Holdfast for seven years, which has enabled her to buy kitchen appliances and a computer, as well as pay for costly dental work with credit union loans.

She said: "I saw it as a means of saving money. Once you've saved money you can borrow against it and each week you pay back a relatively small amount.

"There's a lot of people who run through loan sharks when they have no money because they can't go to the bank because of a poor financial record. But there's no danger of that here – this is a savings bank."

ESSEX County Council plans to switch off street lights across the county to save on energy bills, but in one street the authority left two lights on permanently for six months.

Last week the Chronicle revealed how the council had launched a public consultation into its proposals to switch off the lights between midnight and 5am in Chelmsford, South Woodham Ferrers, Braintree, Witham and the surrounding villages after a successful trial in the Maldon and Dunmow districts.

"When I saw the headline in last week's Chronicle it was like a red rag to a bull," said Susan Bryant, 61, who lives in Laburnum Way, Witham.

"Back in April workmen carried out maintenance on the lights, but after they left they just stayed on all day and all night.

"I left it a week and the lights were still on 24/7, so I rang Essex County Council and they said, 'oh it's nothing to do with us'.

"So I rang the Highways Agency and it turns out my neighbour was also ringing the council, unbeknown to us.

"My husband Ian also phoned them and they said they were waiting for a part to fix the problem."

But after six months of blazing lights the couple last week became so frustrated they contacted MP Priti Patel.

She responded in a letter saying she would get in touch with council chief executive Joanna Killian about the issue.

"They can afford to have two lights on all the time and then have the cheek to say they are going to turn the lot off," said Mrs Bryant.

"I just thought I'm not having this."

But after the Chronicle made a phone call to Essex County Council about the lights, both were suddenly turned off.

"We were walking down the road on Saturday and we thought there was something different," said Mrs Bryant.

"Then we realised that the lights were off. Umpteen phone calls from me and there was nothing, then one phone call from the Chronicle and it was sorted.

"Obviously there's a switch somewhere that somebody forgot to switch off."

Essex County Council were unavailable for comment.

To have your say on the blackout consultation go to www.essex.gov.uk/

MALDON & Tiptree won this top of the table clash at the Wallace Binder Stadium on Saturday and deservedly so as they were always slightly the better side throughout the match.

The win gives manager Terry Spillane's side a five point lead at the top and with a game in hand over their nearest rivals.

But the experienced manager knows it's still early days in the promotion battle adding: "There's a long way to go and lots of games to play so nobody is getting carried away.

"We just have to keep up the momentum we have built, work hard in every game and take those chances and score goals which we did in this match.

"We've some hard games coming up and of course when you're on top everybody else wants to beat you and knock you off that top spot."

But Spillane has quietly rebuilt the side since taking over at the end of last season and one of his best signings has been the experienced striker Jamie Guy.

The former Braintree Town and Colchester United striker showed his class again in this game, netting the all important winner on 55 minutes thanks to a neat interchange with winger James Robinson.

It was another old hand who had given Spillane's side the lead on 37 minutes when midfielder Ollie Berquez nipped through latching on to a through ball to calmly slip the ball past Athletic keeper George Kamurasi.

Athletic did pose problems for the home rearguard and they came close to scoring but there cause was not helped when a minute after Guy's goal Jake Hall was shown a red card for a second bookable offence.

Despite being a man down the visitors seemed to be spurred on and for a period they seriously threatened the home goal but were let down by poor finishing and resolute defending.

Maldon & Tiptree should have made the game safe when keeper Kamurasi conceded a penalty but the usually reliable Robinson shot tamely at him.

Five minutes from time the visitors did grab a late goal when Harry Agombar fired in a tremendous 30 yard shot.

But it was too little late and deservedly the home side held on to win and stay top of the table.

A ROMANTIC night on the ice took place at Chelmsford's Riverside Ice Rink for the most glamorous couple on The Only Way Is Essex.

Reality TV stars Mario Falcone and Lucy Mecklenburgh enjoyed a candlelit private ice skate on the rink.

The episode of Towie was aired on October 24 and saw Mario whisk Lucy away from her girlfriends to a date at the ice rink.

When they arrived, Mario had already arranged a circle of candles with a present in the middle.

He told Lucy if she could score an ice hockey goal she could get the present.

As she put the puck into the back of the net, she said "Can I get my present now?" to which Mario answered, "All you care about is your present".

Mario added: "People think what I am all about is flash things, the cars, the money, the watches, but if that was to all go tomorrow, I wouldn't care, but if you were to go tomorrow that would be the end of my world."

The recent visit was the fourth time the centre's ice rink has featured on television, having previously been used to film bits for Sky One series Braniac, Dirty Sanchez, and The One Show.

Stars of ITV's Dancing on Ice Daniella Westbrook and Jennifer Ellison have also used the centre for training, and the rink hosted a 'Skate Academy' set up by Jeff Brazier.

Chelmsford City Council's cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, councillor Ray Ride, said: "Our ice rink is a popular facility with a wide variety of user groups.

"And the continued interest we receive from production companies and celebrities in utilising it is a testament to the great facilities that we have on offer here in Chelmsford."

For more details about the ice rink call 01245 615050 or see www. chelmsford.gov.uk/iceskating

HAVE you ever wondered how your favourite pint of bitter or bottle of beer is made?

If so, then perhaps a brewing experience day might be of interest to you.

The number of UK breweries that offer this opportunity is relatively small, yet here in Brentwood we are fortunate enough to have one on our very doorstep.

For £99, you can spend an entire day with Brentwood Brewing Company helping to make your very own beer – and what's more, you even get to take an 18-pint carton of it home with you.

On Thursday, the Gazette visited the microbrewery, based at Frieze Hall Farm off Coxtie Green Road, South Weald, to take part in a brewing experience day.

We were joined by four members of the public: retired civil servant Ted Howson, 67, from South Hornchurch; accountant Mark Eade, 34, from Upminster; business consultant Steve McMurtary, 61, also from Upminster; and his son Dave McMurtary, 28, a transport consultant from Farnham in Surrey.

On a chilly morning, we were met by head brewer Sophie De Ronde, a 29-year-old with more than five years' experience in the industry, who revealed that we would be making Indian Pale Ale, or IPA for short.

First up, we were given the task of opening and tipping 13 25kg bags of crushed pale malt into an electronic mash tun.

Malt is made from barley, a cereal crop which is grown in farmers' fields across the UK and throughout Europe and North America.

To make malt, barley is warmed in water at a temperature of 15C in order to stimulate germination of the grain.

During this process, starch in the grain is broken down into sugars, which give the malt its sweet taste.

The malt is subsequently heated in a kiln, with the temperature determining whether the product will be pale, black or somewhere in between.

After adding the malt to the mash tun, we measured out 630g of calcium chloride and 150g of calcium sulphate, compounds known collectively as brewing salts.

Once the salts were added, the masher was turned on, heating the malt for an hour and a half with water at a temperature of 65C to produce a light, sugary liquid called sweet wort.

To produce 2,500 litres of beer, the brewery uses 3,000 litres of water, to which a mixture of sulphuric and phosphoric acid is added in order to reduce its alkilinity.

Once sweet wort has been produced, hops, which in the UK are mainly grown in Kent, are added to give the liquid more flavour.

Following this, yeast, a single-celled fungus, is introduced to the mixture to convert fermentable sugars such as glucose and fructose into ethanol, better known as alcohol, in a process known as fermentation.

This process can take several days or even weeks, following which the beer is ready to be put into barrels and taken to pubs for patrons to enjoy.

Speaking at the end of the day, which ran from 8am until 5pm, Miss De Ronde said: "These experience days are an extra source of revenue for the brewery and I enjoy being able to share my knowledge with the people who come along.

"People absolutely love it and it is really satisfying to see them learn what goes into making their pint."

Miss De Ronde, one of six staff at the brewery, added: "When people go away from here they have new thoughts about beer and what goes on behind the scenes."

As for my fellow brewing assistants, they were all united in their enjoyment of the experience – particularly the mid afternoon tasting session.

Mr Howson, who makes his own home-made beer, said: "I have learned that to be a successful brewer the main ingredient is patience.

"I have picked up quite a few tips and the day has added immensely to my limited knowledge."

Mr McMurtary senior said: "When my son bought me this experience day it sounded like hard work but it has been very informative and enjoyable."

The experience did not, however, give him the urge to try home brewing.

"It is not something that I want to do," he said.

"I think I would miss the social aspect of drinking if I brewed my own," he said.

His son Dave said: "The day has been interesting and has given me an insight into how a brewery works.

"I was surprised at how small it is and how few staff it has."

He added: "You can drink a pint in 30 seconds if you really want to but the time that goes into it is a lot, lot more."

Meanwhile, Mr Eade said: "I have learnt a huge amount about what goes into brewing and it has been very enjoyable.

"It was quite physical and I think I have earned my beer today."

"IT WAS the only sensible decision to make with the pitch soaked and the rain still falling."

That was the joint verdict of Braintree boss Alan Devonshire and Tranmere counterpart Ronnie Moore after their FA Cup First Round tie was called off on Sunday lunch-time, an hour before kick-off.

With heavy rain still falling and large puddles on parts of the Amlin Stadium pitch Northampton referee Dean Whitestone was left with no option but to call the game off despite it being scheduled to go out live on ITV1.

"It just wasn't playable in those conditions despite all the hard work of the ground staff who I asked to keep the covers on until that last hour in the hope we could get the game played," said Mr Whitestone.

"The ball wouldn't roll properly in places and it wouldn't have been safe for the players and also the surrounding terrace areas were flooded which would have been a crowd safety issue we couldn't allow to happen."

The Iron had covers over the pitch from Tuesday which cost the club the best part £4,000 to install.

They also lost out on valuable revenue from the televised game.

But both managers agreed it would have been unfair to have expected the players to play such a vital game in such terrible conditions.

Devonshire said: "I'm gutted for everyone at the club who had done so much work to get the game on and also for my players who were all geared up for the day.

"We badly wanted to play the game but there's nothing you can do about such situations – it means we have now missed two games in two successive weekends."

Moore, who's team stopped at a Stansted Airport hotel overnight as preparation for the game said: "Of course it's disappointing to have any game called off.

"When I arrived at the ground I wanted the game to be played whatever but subsequently, with the heavy rain continuing, I realised it would have been a lottery out there and I was forced to agree with the officials' decision to call it off."

Around 300 Tranmere fans had made the long trip to the game with coaches having left at 6am only to arrive and find the game called off with fans queuing up at the entrance for the scheduled 11am opening of turnstiles which was delayed on the advice of police and safety officials until they knew if it would be on or not.

Iron captain Kenny Davis summed up the players' disappointment: "It's a big blow because we had all worked ourselves up for it, prepared properly and were dead keen and couldn't wait for the game to start.

"It's all a bit of an anticlimax but there's nothing you can do about it and we have to build ourselves up for when the game is rearranged," he said.

Iron chairman Lee Harding was also disappointed about the game being called off explaining: "There's been a lot of work gone into preparing for this game over the past 10 days or so by a lot of volunteers at the club and it's a great shame it was all for nothing.

"But as a club we did everything possible to try and get the game on, having hired special covers for the pitch and organised extra stewards and much more only to be beaten by the weather.

"Now we have to do it all again but that's just one of those things and you can't do anything else about the weather.

"At least we're were in the Second Round draw and if we can beat Tranmere we have another home game against a Football League club with the winners playing Chesterfield.

"Losing this game has obviously cost us money but hopefully we can recoup some of that when the match is eventually played."

The match had also attracted the attention of the national media with over 40 press representatives due to attend and cover the game while ESPN were to show the game live worldwide to around 70 countries.

"Yes, we have missed out on promoting the club to a wider audience on the day but that's just one of those things," said Harding.

Braintree will get another shot at playing in front of the TV cameras on Tuesday when the match will be shown live on ITV4 from 7.30pm (kick-off 7.45pm).