Supermarket giant Tesco is to start building its store in Marlborough within weeks, rather than waiting for the outcome of legal action by rivals Sainsburys.

A delighted Lisa Farrell, who has led the campaign for a Tesco at the Salisbury Road Business Park, said: “All the hard work has been worth it.”

Other shoppers in the town were equally delighted.

Retired agricultural worker Roy Spring, 77, of Portfields, said “It’s great news and I will certainly be shopping there.

“At present I do a bit of shopping in Waitrose but drive to Sainsbury’s in West Swindon for most of it.”

Mother-of-three and grandmother Rosemary Cross, of St Margarets Mead, said: “I am ever so pleased to hear that Tesco is coming. We will definitely be shopping there.”

Kaye Mills, of Rogers Meadow, said: “That’s excellent news, fantastic. I do some shopping in Waitrose but luckily I have a friend who takes me to Tesco in Hungerford but I will certainly use their shop in Marlborough.” However, not everyone liked the idea.

One woman who did not stop to give her name said: “I think it’s dreadful. It will kill off a lot of the small shops in the town.”

Tesco corporate affairs manager Melanie Chiswell said: “People in Marlborough have been asking us to build our new supermarket for months now. We’ve listened, and are pleased to share the news that we can now start work. This is our way of showing our commitment to local people despite the legal challenge ahead of us.

“It has been nearly two years since we were invited to build a new supermarket for Marlborough, and agree with local people that it’s not fair for them to wait any longer. We are ready to build the town a new environmental store with up to 150 new jobs, and hope to open by the end of February 2011.”

Sainsbury’s confirmed yesterday that its lawyers were still seeking a judicial review of the planning process.

If granted it could result in a High Court judge ordering Wiltshire Council to reconsider the Tesco application together with Saisnbury’s application to build a store on the adjacent former highways depot in Salisbury Road, which was re-submitted last week.

Miss Chiswell said: “I can’t comment on what we will do if ruling goes against us at this stage as we don’t know.”