Axminster town council wants the supermarket giant to restore the historic railings bordering its site

TESCO is being urged to do a little more to help keep Axminster looking good.

Town councillors are calling on the company to repair and tidy up the historic ironwork railings on the edge of its site in West Street.

Deputy Mayor Jeremy Walden said they were in a poor state and certainly needed attention.

He said the ironwork fence, which had been put up by the JH Shand factory, which formerly operated on the site, needed restoring before they could ask English Heritage to list it.

He said: “It would be good PR for Tesco – or bad PR if they won’t look after their property, especially after what Axminster Power Tools did to make theirs look good.”

“The fence is in a sorry state and needs repainting – so we may need to start making a ruckus.”

Mayor Andrew Moulding said they should point out to Tesco that they would like the work done in time for the town’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June.

Town clerk Hilary Kirkcaldie said in 2003 a similar request had been made to Tesco to clean the fence and then it took years of efforts before it was eventually done – in 2006.

Cllr Brian Watson added that the footpath from Tesco also needed pruning and cleaning up.

Cllr Moulding said with a tidy up of the nearby Anchor Hill roundabout set to go ahead shortly they wanted the whole area to come together.

* The initials of J H Shand – which made steel type dies, moulds and press tools - are featured in the centre of each metal fence panel. On number of them the letter S has been bent by vandals.