Another Day, Another Town, More Mi££ions

Civic leaders in south Norfolk are limbering up for a fight this year to stop one of the UK's biggest multinationals from taking another huge chunk of a leading market town.

Over the last few years councillors in Diss have become increasingly worried by the growth of Tesco - a company that did not have a presence in the town until last year.

Then it replaced the Co-op supermarket on the A1066 Victoria Road - the spine of the town - and started a war with next-door neighbour Safeway, which has subsequently rebranded as a Morrisons store and doubled in size.

As the two supermarkets started to compete for customers, Tesco responded by buying a derelict factory and a large piece of accompanying land on the other side of Morrisons.

Discussions were entered into with South Norfolk Council - believed to be about creating a mammoth superstore on the new site, which could see the old one converted into a homeware-only store.