PLANS for a supermarket in the middle of St John's have been vetoed.

Worcester city councillors from all parties ignored officers' advice when they voted last night to throw out proposals for a 46,000sq ft Sainsbury's store at Swanpool Walk.

A special meeting of the full council - likely to be next month - is to be arranged to rubber-stamp the decision.

Factors to be cited are likely to include inadequate car parking, threats to the economic vitality of St John's, and the risk of pollution due to increased traffic.

The 70 or so people who listened to the debate applauded each speaker who criticised the project.

Coun David Bannister called it "fanciful" to imagine supermarket customers would also visit independent traders.

"People use supermarkets because they can get what they want under one roof," he told the technical services committee.

Other members cited safety and traffic grounds, claiming Sainsbury's was "squeezing a quart into a pint pot".

But pharmacist Dennis Ogle spoke in favour, saying a supermarket could breathe new life into St John's.

"I've been lampooned regularly on the walls of the Smoke Stack pub, been sworn at, libelled, cursed and had my sexuality questioned as a result of my views," he told councillors.

"But competition's the life of business. Everyone can gain."

Alun Davies, the regional development executive for Sainsbury's, said people had "a right to better food shopping".

However, when a vote "minded to reject" the application was taken, the only councillors to vote against it were David Barlow and Adrian Gregson.

After the three-hour meeting, Mr Davies said the company would wait for the outcome of the full council meeting before deciding on its next move.

A question mark still hangs over applications by Safeway and Asda.

Last night's meeting went on for so long that chairman Stephen Inman called a halt after the vote on the Sainsbury's application, saying it would be "grossly unfair and prejudicial" to carry on.

He adjourned the meeting until Monday.