The latest plans to almost double the size of a Kidlington supermarket have been called in for a second time by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

In June Cherwell District Council approved a proposal by Sainsbury's to increase its store in Oxford Road by 41 per cent.

But the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has now called in the plans.

The move is the latest in a long-running planning battle by the store to get its plans approved.

Sainsbury's has vowed it will continue its bid for permission to expand.

In July last year the district council approved a similar application for an extension. Those plans were also called in following concern about the impact a bigger store would have on other shops and traffic in the area.

Following a four-day hearing last April planning inspector Peter Watson recommended the scheme should be approved, but Mr Prescott overruled the decision saying Sainsbury's had not "demonstrated a quantitative need for the proposal".

Sainsbury's lodged an appeal against the decision, and in early July a judge at the High Court in London ordered the Deputy Prime Minister to reconsider the matter.

Mr Prescott has now called in the latest expansion plans by the store, which are almost identical to the previous proposal but include more evidence of the need for the expansion.

Simon Hailes, spokesman for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, said: "This is a separate application from the previous one and will be considered on its own merits."

Sainsbury's spokesman Emma Garner said: "We are obviously very disappointed with this latest decision and surprised it has been called in again.

"We worked really hard in terms of satisfying all areas and providing supporting evidence to address the points made about the first application."

She said the company was still hopeful the first application, which has been sent back to Mr Prescott to look at again, would be approved.