CAMPAIGNERS have hit out at Tesco after it withdrew funding for a town centre manager despite saying it would fund the position if given planning permission for a new store.

The retail giant was granted planning permission for a store on a bridge off Packhorse Road, Gerrards Cross, following an appeal in 1997, and will go ahead with the building at the end of this year

Chris Furness, chief executive of South Bucks District Council, said Tesco had told him it would help finance a CCTV project and a town centre manager in the village if it received backing for its application.

But the supermarket has informed him it is no longer willing to fund a new town centre manager's job. However, it may still consider helping with a CCTV scheme.

Campaigner Alan Sealy, of the Janet Sealy Partnership, a marketing consultancy in Packhorse Road, Gerrards Cross, said the store did not have the interests of the community at heart.

He added: "The fact that they volunteered it in the first place suggests they were prepared to spend money to secure planning permission.

"Tesco has no interest in the community, it just wanted to get planning permission.

"Security in the town is of great interest to the community.

"They were trying to score a PR goal and they deserve to score an own goal now.

"This is only a small town and they will destroy the character of the town."

Beaconsfield MP Dominic Grieve said that Tesco should honour any promises it made.

He added: "They made a promise to contribute and they then reneged on it.

"It would be very ill viewed by the local community if they do not fulfil that promise."

A Tesco spokesman said: "There was a discussion of funding a town centre manager's job and CCTV provision which took place in the context of securing a locally negotiated agreement.

"Since we went to an inquiry we do not feel bound by discussions about a town centre manager's position.

"However going forward we are still happy to discuss the possibility of supporting CCTV provision."