WORCESTERSHIRE county councillors have put off a decision about whether to strike a deal with Tesco.

The supermarket chain wants to level Christopher Whitehead High School and replace it with a store and six-island filling station.

Its aim is to build a new school by July 2003 at Earls Court Farm, which lies west of Dines Green within Malvern Hills District.

Tesco has a legally binding interest in a 25-acre site it says could host a nine form-entry school, playing fields and 100-space car park.

But members of the executive committee were uneasy when asked to approve the main terms of a contract yesterday.

Financial details, including information about a "non-refundable deposit" to be handed to the council by Tesco when the contracts were signed to pay for council legal costs, were kept out of the agenda papers.

Coun John Gordon, who heads the Independent Kidderminster Hospital Health Concern group, advised caution.

"This could set a tremendous precedent," he told the meeting.

"It's one of the most important decisions this council could take."

Coun June Longmuir, formerly leader of the Conservative group, described many councillors as "ambivalent" towards the plans.

"I think this should be a corporate decision and should go to full council," she said.

Couns Liz Tucker and Tom Wells, the Liberal Democrat members of the 13-strong executive committee, abstained when the matter was put to the vote.

They were outnumbered by the Conservative, Labour and Independent members, who wished to delay the discussion.

Coun Alywn Davies, the council's deputy leader, asked for an up-to-date map of the site to be handed out when the 57 members of the authority debate the issue on Thursday, July 19.

He complained that the drawing supplied to the committee did not feature recent roads such as the western bypass, opened in 1997.

A spokesman for Tesco said the supermarket giant "respected the democratic process and would await the full council's decision".

David Murray, Malvern Hills District Council's head of development control, said: "We haven't been formally consulted by the county council and we haven't had a chance to get our thoughts together."

"We expect an item will go to one of our committees in four or five weeks' time."