Published: Thursday, 29th January, 2009 5:00am

Tesco breaks pledge on its first day open

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THIS is the picture Tesco bosses swore we would never see - less than 24 hours after the new Express store opened in Katesgrove, a delivery van is parked on the pavement flouting the law.

Dr Tim Chatterton, a university air pollution and transport expert, spotted the van at 10.30pm on Monday last week - the day the shop opened.

He said: "There was a large van parked right on the pavement, right by the junction. They had trolleys there and they had crates. It was made clear at the time of the licensing that that was the kind of thing that was going to happen because it is such a big route round the one-way system. They swore blind that this was not going to happen."

Tesco Express, on the corner of Reading's Crown Street, has no customer parking and goods vehicles arriving from the east must drive past it on the one-way system to reach its underground delivery bay in London Street.

Tesco spokeswoman Juliette Bishop said: "They couldn't get where they were supposed to park and parked there literally for three minutes. They had 10 crates. It was the first day that we were open and someone has made an error."

Katesgrove councillor Gareth Epps said: "There has always been concern about just how Tesco was going to receive deliveries. This junction is one of the busiest in Reading, with nowhere adjacent for trucks to park.

"I am aware the council has been acting on our concerns and has received assurances that action will be taken."