COUNTY Estate Management has an interesting take on the licensed trade.

"This matter is of no legitimate public concern," says operations director Philip Sambell about its pubs potentially running dry; "and we would caution you as to the nature of any comment you have to make in your newspaper."

Thank you for the warning, Mr Sambell.

We shall restrict ourselves to one observation.

Your conviction that York city centre pubs running out of beer in a hot week at the height of Euro 2004 is not of "public concern" reveals everything we need to know about County Estate Management.

Updated: 10:09 Tuesday, June 15, 2004