Custard editor gets his just desserts

John Nurden editor of the Whitstable Times appears to have been vindicated in his decision to lead page four of his paper with the tale of a mum who complained she couldn't find any custard in the town, judging by the interest it has stirred up on the web.
The story Whitstable Mum in Custard Shortage at first attracted some derision as an example of poor news judgement and there were suggestions that the reporter who wrote the story and news editor who allowed it to be published should be sacked.
But Nurden defended his nose for news saying it was a fun story that had attracted the most traffic to the paper's website. By last night the custard shortage story had attracted 65 web postings from around the country.
The intro to the story: "A MUM of three is dis-custard after a hunt for the dessert sauce in the town proved fruitles." played it for laughs. And many posters have reacted in the same spirit rather than join the critics:
Neil Mac, Newcastle: "It's a decent knock-about tale. What's the harm? I'd rather read this than a council press release which has been cut, pasted and printed verbatim. More power to The Whitstable Times! Start a campaign to get our custard back I say."
General Custard, Blackberry Way: "Great article. People are talking. What else matters. Even if they are talking for the wrong reasons, they are talking. And there's no such thing as bad publicity. This article is doing more to promote Whitstable at the moment than Canterbury City Council's tourism department! "
Neil Wardrop, Beltring :"Honestly, I'm ashamed for the profession. Not by this story but the comments of other journalists on here.You'd have to be a bit of a po-faced cretin not to think this is a cracking local paper tale. Mind you most of the people knocking this probably get no further than re-writing council press releases if most local papers I read are anything to go by."
Journalist ThatWentToTheDarkSide, Maidstone: "I can't believe some people on here don't think this is a story!!! Errrr.....this is the best story I've read on a local website for weeks (except possibly mud wrestling at a credit crunched pub in Maidstone)I personally enjoy being covered in custard at the weekends so clearly I couldn't live in Whitstable...."