CAMPAIGNERS have finally admitted defeat in their battle to stop a new Tesco Express store being granted an alcohol licence.

Traders and residents launched an appeal against Redbridge Council's decision to grant the planned supermarket - in Wanstead High Street - an alcohol licence after it refused to accept their 1,400-name petition at a meeting in April.

A date was set for a licence review at Redbridge Magistrates Court on November 19, but campaigners were forced to give up their fight after facing tens of thousands of pounds in legal costs if they lost the case.

The original campaign against the alcohol licence was launched because of fears over the impact it would have on anti-social behaviour in the area.

Ashley Gunstock - who led the campaign - said the group simply could not afford to take on the combined financial might of Redbridge Council and Tesco at court.

He said: "The costs involved if we had lost would just have been too high.

"We are just ordinary people, but the council and Tesco have huge amounts of money to fight these cases.

"If we had all the money in the world we would have taken this all the way, but the risks of failure were too great.

"We believe Tesco was granted this alcohol licence without due process because the council refused to take the views of local people into account when the decision was made."

Mr Gunstock, from Cranbourne Avenue, Wanstead, said the situation showed how little power people have to oppose new developments in the middle of their communities.

He said: "We are desperately disappointed, but there is nothing more we can do.

"Tesco are just waiting for a decision to be made on their application to create a new loading bay in the High Street, and then they'll open.

"I've spoken to shopkeepers here who say they'd never get permission for something like that, but this is Tesco we are talking about - they get what they want."

No date has been set for a decision on the loading bay application.

Work has yet to begin on the new Tesco Express store, more than two months after the alcohol licence was granted.

A Tesco spokeswoman confirmed the firm was still waiting for council approval to create the loading bay and said it had a zero tolerance policy towards under-age drinking.

A council spokeswoman said: "The council's enforcement service is aware of the concerns of local residents and will keep a watching brief to ensure there is not an increase in anti social behaviour in the area.

"Where it can be shown that anti social behaviour is directly attributable to a licensed premises then responsible bodies such as trading standards, the police or the anti social behaviour team may call for a review on the premises' licence.

"The power of calling for a review is also available to those that live in the vicinity of a premises."