Supermarket rivals create charity row

A bitter war of words has broken out between supermarket rivals after Somerfield accused Tesco of blocking a fundraising initiative for a children’s charity.

In a statement Somerfield says Tesco has prevented the charity – understood to be Macmillan Cancer Relief – from raising up to £20,000 by barring it from entering a hot-air balloon at the International Balloon Fiesta in Bristol, which Tesco is sponsoring.

Somerfield claims charities were aiming to raise funds from its balloon, which is run by volunteers and owned by Somerfield staff.

But Tesco has hit back, saying it refused Somerfield entry because it had already turned down an offer to sponsor the event for £100,000.

A Tesco spokeswoman says: “It’s a rather sad day for our industry when companies go to these lengths to try to discredit us.”