Supermarket giant Tesco has been using 20 per cent more space for the sale of non-grocery goods than is allowed by law at its store in Shrewsbury since it opened, a report has claimed.

Consultants say that the store in Battlefield has been using an additional 300 sq metres for the sale of comparison goods above the amount it was originally given permission for in 2004.

Now the supermarket, which was not available for comment, has asked for permission to carry on using the space for the non-grocery goods.

The report by White Young Green Planning, commissioned by Shropshire Council, also said 19 shops had closed in the town centre since Tesco opened in April 2007.

The report by WYG said Tesco received planning permission to allocate a maximum of 1,447 sq m or 32 per cent (whichever is lower) of the net sales area, towards the sale of comparison goods, which includes clothes. But it said a memo sent by Tim Morris, of Shropshire Council, to the development team in August this year, showed that Tesco was using an extra150 sq m or more.

Gareth Proffitt, spokesman for Shropshire Council, said the new application had been reworded to state that no more than 1,745 sq m or 38.6 per cent of the net sales area of the store should be used for the sales of comparison goods.

He said: “This is the same area of floorspace for comparison goods that Tesco requested when they first applied to vary their planning conditions. The change reflects the fact that Shropshire Council has updated its definition of comparison goods so that it now matches the Government’s and is no longer as defined in the original planning condition.”