TOWN crier Alf Johnson has just completed a pub crawl around all the licensed premises in Marlborough in the name of duty.

And while many men would relish the task of having a beer at ten different places on the same night, Mr Johnson says he would prefer lemonade.

He was joined on the annual official Ale Tasting by Mayor Graham Francis and the two macebearers, Stan Radnedge and Bob Dobie.

They started at the Roebuck Inn in London Road and were ferried into the town by mayoress Adrienne Francis.

They tasted the ale in the Crown, the Lamb, the Bear Hotel, Green Dragon, Wellington Arms, Sun Inn, Royal Oak, Castle and Ball and Queen's Head.

Mr Johnson said it was the ninth consecutive year he had taken part since the tradition was revived when Derek Smithers was mayor in 1997.

The town crier may have the title also of official ale taster but for the rest of the year Mr Johnson is virtually teetotal.

He said: "I have a sip at each pub so I suppose that by the time we get to the tenth one I have had about a pint in total.

"That's probably as much as I drink the rest of the year."

Mr Johnson, who has been town crier since 1997 and is proud to proclaim he was born and bred in Marlborough, said: "I have just a sip at each pub because it's meant to be ale tasting as opposed to drinking.

"We each have a taste just to make sure it's good and obviously we pass it because we are not going to close a pub down.

"Every pub we go to gets a certificate and some pubs have all of them on display in their bars which is nice to see."

Mr Johnson stressed that the ale tasting is purely ceremonial and has no standing in law.

No-one is sure how far back the tradition dates.

It was originally revived at the end of the 1960s when the late Denis McCaffrey was town crier.

He installed a plaque outside his home in Kingsbury Street saying Town Crier and Ale Taster.

It was then dropped until Coun Derek Smithers revived it.