Well PP, if you put a post like that up you shouldn't be surprised.
The system may be cumbersome but that's the way of ICAO and until
xnotam is adopted by ICAO we are stuck with it. About 3 pages is the norm. If you go for a Route Brief rather than a Narrow Route Brief and stick in a FIR you will get NOTAM for the whole of that FIR.
The freephone number gives you what it says on the tin. RA(T) and airspace upgrades, i.e. the mandatory stuff. It won't give you nav warnings or tell you that the taxiway at Little Snoring is out of service.
In the context of the original post here it will almost certainly have been a Nav Warning, which infers no prohibition on entry other than that which would apply to the ATZ under Rule 45.
glush's astonishment at the breaches of Art 52 of the ANO by the commander is however quite understandable.