A COMMUNITY watchdog is set to flood the area with 20,000 leaflets to raise its arguments against building a Tesco store in WGC.

WGC Society is keen to mobilise the community in its bid to “show a united front” against any supermarket development east of the railway line.

Society executive committee member and former councillor Dr Dennis Lewis said “No-one should be fooled by the ‘gifts’ Tesco is offering us.

“As demonstrated in the BBC’s Inside Out programme a few weeks ago, such ‘goodies’ have been promised by Tesco in their attempts to develop supermarkets in other towns.

“But when push came to shove, those goodies were not delivered and the residents felt very badly let down. That must not happen here.”

Society chairman Shaun O’Reilly agreed. He said: “The question of the narrowness of the bridge over the railway has not been addressed by Tesco - even though they have shown plans to improve it.

“I know our MP, Grant Shapps, has declared his concerns about the bridge, but it is a source of disappointment to our members that neither he nor our borough council leadership has come out strongly against a redevelopment which will severely damage our town centre and destroy much of our neighbourhood centres on the east side of town.”

Mr O’Reilly added: “It’s unfortunate our elected representatives seem to be attracted to the “goodies” Tesco is offering, while ignoring the horrendous implications for the town, of acceptance of those goodies.

“I appeal to all our residents who are concerned about keeping WGC as an attractive, thriving, bustling shopping centre, to write to their councillors and their MP to register their strong objection to the Tesco proposals.

“Any hesitation on the part of our residents now will surely result in a bustling Tesco store adjacent to a broken and semi-derelict town centre.”