Residents and store owners in one of England's most famous TV towns are banding together to oppose a Tesco store which they believe will spoil the charm of their iconic home.

Holmfirth in Yorkshire has been the setting of the BBC series Last of the Summer Wine for more than 30 years and thousands of tourists flock to its cobbled streets familiar from the adventures of Compo, Clegg, Foggy and Nora Batty.

Locals fear Tesco's proposed out-of-town development will drain the life out of the town and have set up a protest group which has received more than 1,000 messages of support.

Resident Margaret Dale told the Yorkshire Post: "Keep Holmfirth Special believes that Tesco's out-of-town superstore will have the same impact on Holmfirth as that seen in numerous other areas - closed shops, reduced choice, lost jobs and congested junctions."

Holmfirth retailer Andrew Bray added: "We are in the centre of a big rural area with a lot

of rural villages that have virtually kept one shop going.

We are really concerned for our rural life."