Furious residents have vowed to continue their three-year fight against plans to build a budget supermarket they claim would drain the life blood away from historic Tewkesbury town centre.

Supermarket chain Aldi first applied to build a store on the former Warners' garage site in Gloucester Road in February 2006.

Tewkesbury Borough Council has twice rejected the firm's application but Aldi is expected to enter yet another application at the beginning of January.

Tewkesbury town centre is still recovering financially after the last summer's devastating floods which meant businesses lost a significant amount of trading.

As well as concerns about the town centre, local residents also fear an Aldi store may lead to anti-social behaviour from youths buying cut price alcohol and say the plans would see the supermarket practically in their back gardens.

Resident Sarah Mayall said: "They are a big company with a lot of money and a lot of clout so they can afford to keep putting applications in and grinding people down.

"These big companies have to be stopped from coming and treading on small towns and changing the face of it."l

Another angry resident, Rosamund Farley, said: "This site is just too small for a large supermarket. It would be backing on to my garden and I am very concerned about noise, air and light pollution.

"I am also concerned that it could lead to anti-social behaviour in the area because youths would congregate to buy cheap booze. We have found a few lager cans in our garden on occasions and think this problem would escalate.

"Put it like this, if Aldi was given the go-ahead then we would set up Neighbourhood Watch.

"As well as all that, Tewkesbury town centre is just getting back on its feet after the floods and Aldi would take away money from the traders. They are putting profit before people."

Another resident, Val Vedmore, added: "It would be a blot on the landscape and that is why we have been fighting it for almost three years.

"I think they are just trying to wear us all down. The annoying thing is that the area is a prime place for building homes because if we flooded here then the Abbey would have to be under water as well.

"We are also very near the site of the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 here and it doesn't seen right to have a supermarket there. It's a nightmare."

However, in October a rival campaign was launched to try to get the supermarket built. Residents from the nearby Prior's Park estate want to see an Aldi store built because of its cheap prices.

Sandra Partridge has begun a petition because she feels poorer people in the town would benefit from an Aldi.

She said: "There are a lot of OAPs, people on benefits and low wages. They need the low prices that Aldi could bring." In October, Aldi withdrew its latest plans, having been rejected by the borough council for a second time in April.

The company is now expected to submit new plans.