A SUPERMARKET giant has disappointed fund-raisers in Burnham, after asking them to remove a vital charity box. The Tesco store on Ben Travers Way contacted Burnham Area Rescue Boat (BARB), the charity behind the town's two life saving hovercraft, to ask i

A SUPERMARKET giant has disappointed fund-raisers in Burnham, after asking them to remove a vital charity box.The Tesco store on Ben Travers Way contacted Burnham Area Rescue Boat (BARB), the charity behind the town's two life saving hovercraft, to ask it to remove the collection box, without a full explanation. BARB chairman Alan Miller said: "We are deeply disappointed by the store's actions and the way it has handled this. We have received several calls from members of the public asking where the collection box has gone."The collection box, a miniature replica of Burnham's lighthouse, has been in the store's entrance for over four years and earns BARB up to £500 a year. Tesco spokeswoman Linda Marsh said: "Tesco's clear foyer policy has actually been in place for some years. Nothing has changed. We only allow collection boxes in our foyers for our 'charity of the year' which is currently the British Red Cross. Charity collections are also allowed outside the store on an occasional basis with prior agreement."In this case, it would seem the Burnham store only recently realised that this particular box is not in line with the policy and asked that it be removed."Unfortunately, if we allowed one charity to place a box in the foyer, we would need to allow many more and would not be able to choose between them."However, Tesco's rival Asda has agreed to step in and offer the collection box a new home. A spokesman for Asda, which is currently building a new store at Springfield Road in Highbridge, said: "We would be absolutely thrilled and delighted to have one of the collection boxes in our new store when it opens. "If BARB finds a new home for the box in the meantime, we would still love to have one if it could provide another." Alan Miller added: "We are delighted that there is a happy ending to this story.