Extraordinary scens last night at an extraordinary meeting of the Durnford Parish Council with the largest attendance in living memory.

In addition to parish councillors Steve Langdon, Nick Gallup, Ness Hawkings, Norman Southey, James Templer and clerk, Wendy Rountree a baying mob including Patricia Powell, Suzanne Waters, Malcolm and Stephanie Down, Jeremy Makin, James Templer and Peter Curtis gathered to here the closely guarded secret revealed. Pitch forks were at the ready.

Maj Gen James Templer revealed the shocking news that he has been in discussion with Wilsford and Durnford Estate about the possibility of a quid pro quo deal in which the estate gifted the cricket pitch to the parish together with £50,000 for the building of a new cricket pavilion if they were granted planning permission to

• Build a new house in the estate between the car park and the new house (opposite the reading room).
• To add an extension to the reading room
• To convert a bothy closer to the river into a fishing lodge.

The only area of contention was access to the bothy in which the estate had originally suggested using the road down to the church. Although this is a private road the gates at the bottom have not been used for at least 60 years. Locals felt that it made much more sense to access the bothy through the newly built car park.

More accurate details to follow later ...