If Maldon was good enough for the vikings, it should be good enough for the BBC.

That was the response from the people of Maldon to the amazing snub delivered to the town by the Beeb, after bosses said it was not good enough to make a film about the Battle of Maldon.

Instead of choosing to shoot at the original battle location on land near to the causeway to Northey Island - the BBC is to make the programme 70 miles away in Cambridge.

The programme, to be hosted by Rory McGrath, forms part of a new series to be screened on the new digitial TV channel BBC Knowledge.

Shoppers in the High Street were unanimous in their views the film should have been made in Maldon and nowhere else.

John Grass, 60, from St Lawrence, was appalled at the decision and thought it was even worse because it is to be screened on digital channel, a channel to which not everybody has access

He said: "It's absolutely terrible. It needs and ought to be done here. Not everybody is going to be able to see the programme either."

Julie Muller, 38, of Church Street, Maldon, said: "I don't understand why it is not done in Maldon. Anybody walking along the sea walk can see it's a wonderful place to be.

"It didn't take place in Cambridge. It's ridiculous and it should be here."

Kevin Rolfe, 34, of Southminster, commented: "It seems a bad move to film that far away. I thought they would want to keep local history local, not take it away from the area. Maldon is a historical town."

Similar views were expressed by Jamie Madge, 18, of Lambourne Grove, Maldon, who said: "Because it was set in Maldon it should be filmed in Maldon. It should be done in the place where it is supposed to have happened."

His friend Adam Tolfree, 18, of Wickham Bishops, said he did not see the point of filming in Cambridge. He argued: "It's more realistic to film it here at the actual place.

Pensioner Brenda Bird, 72, of Maldon, said: "That's just typical. It really is dreadful if they have not filmed it in the right place. They shouldn't be allowed to be in business. I don't think it's at all fair."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.