A village is split over the possible arrival of a new 24-hour superstore.

Some residents and shopkeepers fear a Tesco Express store will spoil picturesque Rottingdean, while others say the new store will be a welcome addition and tidy up an eyesore building.

Some shops are raising petitions opposing the development.

The vicar of Rottingdean, Father Martin Morgan, has got involved in the row, saying in one of his sermons: "I hear we may have a 24-hour Tesco in Rottingdean. God help us."

Residents want the prime site, previously showrooms for Rottingdean Motor Company, which has been empty for a year, tidied up.

The unused building, opposite the main car park in West Street just off the main A259 South Coast Road, is one of the most visual sites in the village.

Brighton property company Graves Jenkins, acting as agents on behalf of Rottingdean Motor Company, sold the site to Tesco.

The proposal is for the existing showrooms to be demolished and replaced with a single-storey unit with a pitched roof, incorporating a sales area of 2,000sqft and a 1,000sqft storeroom.

Tesco says it wants "24-hour preferred opening" but there is no guarantee members of the city council's planning committee will agree to round-the-clock opening.

Harold Williams, chairman of the Rottingdean Trade, Business and Professional Association, said many businesses were in favour of the new store as they believed it would bring more trade to Rottingdean.

He said: "If this development is given the go-ahead, it will provide much needed competition for the Co-op in Rottingdean and confirm Rottingdean as a thriving commercial and business sector."

Last week, Rottingdean Parish Council voted to support the plan for the new store with only one parish councillor, Roy Crossland, voting against as he was concerned about parking problems and the impact the store could have on the village.

Parish clerk Jean Talbot said: "The parish council is not opposed to the concept of the store but there are design, traffic and trading concerns we want addressed."

The matter is due to be discussed by Brighton and Hove's planning committee next month, on either September 4 or 19.