Nearly 1,000 people went to a polling booth at Great Glen Village Hall on Wednesday last week where 964 voted against the Co-op's eco-town plan and three voted in favour. It represented a 33.5 per cent turnout for the village.

The Co-op wants to build a 15,000-home eco-town on farmland between Great Glen and Stoughton. It would border Stretton Hall and Bridgewater Drive in Great Glen.

Residents were asked: "Do you agree with this plan? Yes or No?"

Voting took place between 4pm and 9pm, with the result declared at 9.35pm.

It followed similar referenda in Thurnby and Scraptoft last June in which 1,147 people in the two parishes voted and 98 per cent said they were against the Co-op scheme.

Kevin Feltham, chairman of protest group Cascet (Campaign Against the Stoughton Co-op Eco-Town), said: "This result is a democratic smack in the face for the Co-op's eco-town proposal and the Government's eco-town programme.

"This poll, with over 99 per cent against, is a real indicator of local opinion."

The count was organised by Harborough District Council but the poll itself was arranged and paid for by Great Glen Parish Council under powers conferred on it by the Local Government Act of 1972. The result is not legally binding.