Suffolk gallery: Tolly crates

There once was a pub, called the Brewery Tap, that nestled in its own tree-lined corral at the far

end of Ipswich Marina. A popular place with everyone who'd discovered it, tucked away far from

the hurly-burly: good food, good beers, good atmos. But then one day it was gone. Not,

seemingly, one of the all-to-frequent closures of British pubs due to rising prices and rents,

lowering profits and patrons who'd rather - understandably - pay a third of the price for a

supermaket beer, but a scrappy dispute with Health and Safety over food standards. It was

reported (but who knows what really went on) that they'd been cooking boil-in-the-bag fish in the

same tub of hot water as boil-in-the-bag something else. And that was all it took, apparently. Our

unbelievable H&S regs can deprive a major town of one of its best venues over such a trifle

(pardon the pun). A few weeks ago my wife went for a blood test, and was told by the nurse,

upon querying it, why she didn't tap the vein on her arm to help it reveal, was told that that was

"abuse", and no longer allowed (H&S). We've really got to get a grip in this country and stamp

out this sort of stupidity. Where was I? - Oh, yes, this is a picture taken in the upstairs parlour

of the Brewery Tap, and is a popular print in Suffolk among those who lament its passing.