Anti-supermarket campaigners today made one last-gasp plea for plans to build a store in Oswestry to be thrown out.

Council chiefs were due to meet this afternoon to decide which of three multi-million supermarket bids should get the go-ahead.

But protesters are still urging them to reject all three.

They claim such a store would “suck out” trade from the town centre and force small traders out of business.

Council officers favour a plan by timber firm Richard Burbidge to build the store in Whittington Road.

They have recommended a rival bid by car firm JT Hughes for a store in Victoria Road and an application by developers Liberty Mercian for the Smithfield livestock site be refused.

All the applicants say their plans would create jobs for Oswestry and stop shoppers going to Shrewsbury or Wrexham. They argue a store would help regenerate the town.

But the Oswestry Coalition campaign group said any of the bids, as well as a bid to build on the Central Car Park, which has been re- fused and has gone to app- eal, would damage the town.

Jessie Miller, of the Oswe- stry Coalition said the Burbidge plan, which would see a Tesco store built, would see trade “sucked out of the town centre and small trad- ers forced to close their doors”. She added: “It is likely that one retail job in the centre of Oswestry will be lost for every job created at Burbidge Tesco.

“There is an alternative vision for Oswestry. Ninety pence in every pound spent at a big supermarket flies out of the local economy into the pockets of international shareholders and traders.

“But if we support our local shops, we will pump 90p in every pound into the local economy. There is no planning application in place called ‘support local shops’ but that is what we need to do.”

Chas Nicholson from the Oswestry 21 campaign group added: “We oppose all the applications, including the Central Car Park bid, because we don’t feel there is a need for another supermarket right now.”

Shropshire councillors were due to discuss the applications at the Marches School this afternoon.

By Iain St John