CLUB owner Steve Hayes has hailed yesterday's staging of Wasps' Heineken Cup match with Newport at Adams Park a triumph – even if it did cost the club tens of thousands of pounds.

With heavy snowfall over Bucks and temperatures locked at hypothermic levels, safety around the stadium was a major concern and Wasps were forced into the unnatural stance of urging fans to stay away for a key game in Europe's most prestigious club rugby competition.

In the end only 1,236 supporters turned up and Hayes believes the lost revenue will run well into five figures.

He said: “Until we've calculated it I honestly don't know how much, but tens of thousands.

“It's around the ground, the bars, corporate hospitality, the food, the shop, everything - everything suffers. Plus we've had to pay extra money to get people in to clear the snow and to clear the stands. All of those things cost money.

“But we couldn't be seen to be encouraging people to come because safety is the most important thing.

“If it was just down to profit we'd have said come along, the game is going to be on. It was a difficult situation.”

But to make the ground safe even for a smattering of supporters required a Herculean effort.

Ground manager Richard Stanford left his Northampton home at 4am and every available steward was summoned for early morning starts to clear snow from stands, accesses and exits.

Hayes said: “Bucks County Council were fantastic too, I put a call in to them last night and they had guys here very, very early this morning.

“The pitch was always going to be playable, that wasn't the problem, it was the surrounding roads and the stands.”

The final hurdle was securing the required medical support and that was achieved just after 10am.

Hayes said: “We couldn't get any ambulances here because they're all pretty busy so we had to bring in ambulances from a private healthcare company, which we have to pay for.

“We did get dispensation not to have it, but as far as we're concerned players' safety is the most important thing so we got one.”

Had the game not gone ahead, it would have been rearranged either for tonight (Monday) or tomorrow night, when temperatures are expected to plunge still further.

Hayes said: “Newport came up yesterday [Saturday]. They wanted to play the game and we wanted to play the game. We've got a big game against Saracens on Boxing Day and if we didn't play today then suddenly our recovery for next week is jeopardy. We had to get the game on even though it hurt us financially.”

At least the players cashed in, scoring four second-half tries in a resounding 37-10 victory that leaves Wasps top of Pool Six after four of six group games.

Head coach Shaun Edwards said: “Steve Hayes invested a lot of money in the pitch and it gives you a chance of pulling games like this off. He's invested the money and he's got a reward today with a five-point win from a Heineken Cup game.”