Gran seeks to demolish home of Tesco boss before supermarket giant bulldozes hers

A grandmother from Merseyside has submitted a planning application to bulldoze the luxury home of Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy - because his firm wants to flatten her house for a new supermarket.

Angry Dot Reid, 58, paid £265 to submit the plans to knock down Sir Terry's £1.6 million mansion in leafy Cuffley, Hertfordshire.

Her own £80,000 housing association end-terrace home would be demolished by his firm who plan to build a huge new shop and a new stadium for Everton FC, in Kirkby, on the outskirts of Liverpool.

But Dot and around 500 people, supporters of Kirkby Residents Action Group, are against it.

The grandmother of three has now put in plans to pull down Sir Terry's home and turn the land into a public park.

She has been helped by architects to prepare blueprints.

Liverpool-born Sir Terry, an Everton fan, was himself brought up in a council house before rising to become one of Britain's top bosses and a multi-millionaire.

Mrs Reid, a supporter of local rivals Liverpool, helped set up St Patrick's Housing Co-operative to get Government money to build the houses marked for demolition, which were only finished in 1992.

She said: "My property is being threatened to be knocked down. It is not a slum clearance, it is only 15 years old.

"Here comes Tesco's again trying to take over the world.

"We want our voices to be heard. How would he like it if his house was flattened?"

Mrs Reid said she did not know of the details of Sir Terry's house - but looked it up on Google Earth.

She added: "It's massive - you would be able to put Everton's new stadium on his land."

But Tesco said: "This is clearly a publicity stunt and has no chance of ever being implemented.

"The only outcome will be to waste council time, effort and tax payers' money."

Everton pushed ahead with plans to move to Kirkby after a ballot of fans showed a clear majority in favour of leaving their Goodison Park home.

Mrs Reid's application is now with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council's planning officers.