IRATE traders have demanded action on derelict shops in St John's, which they say are a blot on the landscape.

Small businesses in the area are fed up looking at the eyesores while they try and build up trade in the area and want action taken to either tidy up the shabby empty premises or let them.

There are more than half a dozen empty premises in St John's. The stores have either moved to other sites or closed down.

Neighbouring stores are worried the empty shops, including the old St John's Pharmacy, Bourne and Mason Barbers, which has now moved to King Charles Place, and Stuff and Nonsense, in St John's, are making the area unattractive and damaging their attempts at regenerating the shopping strip.

The other four shops are situated opposite the Pasha Restaurant.

Helen Blizard, office manager of Platinum estate agents, said the state of the shops was disgusting. "The least the owners could do is tidy them up. I know they want to keep their options open, but they could let the shops short-term. It would even build up the area ready for them to come in."

Angela Etherington, a florist from Anger over St John's

shops that are empty Buds and Bows, said: "All these empty shops stop it from being a real shopping centre. It makes it look down and out and it just doesn't look attractive when we are all trying so hard."

Worcester City Council said that three of the seven shops are owned by supermarket giant Sainsbury's, which was granted planning permission to build a store on a site near St John's Sports Centre five years ago.

The original plans were to demolish the shops to make way for access to the store, but after Tesco took an interest in the area, Sainsbury's took a low profile and no building work has started.

A spokesman for Worcester City Council said that Sainsbury's had recently renewed its planning application for another three years and that plans to refurbish the empty shops were on the cards.

Dennis Ogle, owner of D L Ogle Chemists, said he would not have spent £50,000 refurbishing his shop if he did not believe St John's was getting better as a shopping area.

He said: "What we really want in St John's is a supermarket, preferably Sainsbury's, because they are concerned with being part of a community, which will add to the area.

"Some stores worry about competition, but if you can't compete then you can't survive. We need to complement each other.

"There are 20,000 people this side of the river and they could do with a supermarket. They could park there, do their shopping, then come into St John's and get their prescriptions, or flowers or organise funeral details with the rest of the shopping."

Jim Pithouse, senior planning officer, said: "Worcester City Council has been concerned for some time about the lack of supermarket provision in St John's.

"We will continue to do all we can to facilitate the regeneration of the central retail area."

Sainsbury's was unavailable for comment.