Tesco have confirmed they will not be buying a much loved pub after thousands combined to protest against its closure.

Fear swept through the many fans of The Wheatsheaf, in Upper Tooting Road, Tooting, after the lease of the pub has run out, with the venue being placed on a 24 hours closure notice.

Many suspected the site could become a small supermarket, with Tesco touted as the favourite to take advantage of planning rules that require no permission to carry out the conversion

Antic London, parent company of the pub, posted a tweet confirming the owners wanted to sell the pub but said no buyer had been chosen.

Customers quickly set up a petition in a bid to rescue the pub, which gained more than 2,000 signatures in three days.

Jon Irwin, who created the petition, said: "From Tooting there are two Tesco's within 400 to 500 metres going each on to Balham High Road.

"In Upper Tooting Road there is one opposite the mosque and Masaledar.

"The guys who have refurbished it have done a fantastic job. It used to be an old boozer, dark windows really dark inside.

MP Sadiq Khan is also lobbying to save the venue and has spoken to Tesco managing director Philip Clarke, Wandsworth Council and MP Eric Pickles.

 

Masterchef winner Shelina Permalloo and comedian Mark Thomas have also shown their support on Twitter.

A spokesman for Tesco said: "There is not a deal on the site, we are not going to move forward with that site.

"We are trying to make sure everybody has an understanding of what is going on."

It is believed other retailers have expressed an interest in the site.

A campaign meeting has been arranged to take place in the pub next Tuesday evening.

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