Supermarket chain Somerfield has announced it is pulling out of Wallingford next month.

The move will leave empty a key retail site in the town centre.

A spokesman for the company said its Gateway store at the Lamb crossroads had not been profitable and its competitor Waitrose had been pressing for the site to become vacant as soon as possible.

Waitrose has plans to develop a superstore on the Gateway site, but so far no planning application has been made.

News that Gateway is to close on May 12 has been met with disappointment by some residents.

John Webb, 54, of Wood Street, who ran a campaign to persuade Somerfield to stay put, described the decision to pull the plug as "an absolute travesty".

He said: "Gateway was the people's shop, used by the elderly and those on a lower budget."

A Somerfield spokesman said the 14 members of staff at the store would be offered interviews with Waitrose.