Tesco secretly backs an eco-town

One of the Government's new eco-towns is being secretly backed by Tesco, it emerged last night. The supermarket giant plans to build a sprawling "environmentally friendly" store at the heart of the proposed town in Hanley Grange, Cambridgeshire.

A shortlist of 15 eco-town sites featuring zero carbon buildings was unveiled last week, but not Tesco's involvement. The Sunday Telegraph reported that development company Jarrow Investments, which is behind the Hanley Grange plans, owns much of the land on behalf of Tesco.

The move will be seen as an attempt by Britain's biggest supermarket to further extend its influence in retail by environmentally friendly gloss.