A NEW campaign backed by Britain’s biggest retailers to end restrictions on Sunday trading is set to trigger a wave of protests from church groups, small retailers and unions.

Tesco, Asda, Ikea and B&Q are among those behind the campaign, Deregulate, which is also backed by Which?, the consumers’ association, and is set to be launched this week.

Representatives of the campaign have begun talks already with the Prime Minister’s policy unit. They claim that two thirds of retailers and up to 56 per cent of shoppers would like big stores to open longer on Sundays. They will argue that the end of restrictions should come within the Government’s deregulation agenda.

Under the 1994 Sunday Trading Act, stores of more than 3,000 sq ft must not open for more than six hours on a Sunday.

A spokeswoman for Asda said: “Sunday is our busiest day and our customers say they don’t understand why we open so late and close so early when smaller shops stay open all day.”

However, David Rae, the chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, which represents thousands of independent retailers, said that deregulation could lead to the closure of hundreds of local shops. He said: “Any change to the regulations would spell disaster for a number of small retailers. The current situation, where large retailers are limited to six hours, has been a lifeline to smaller retailers.”

John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, whose opposition to the introduction of Sunday trading 11 years ago was a deciding factor for the current rules, both said yesterday that they were now neutral on the issue. J Sainsbury is also neutral.

A spokesman for John Lewis said: “We have to recognise it is something our customers want, but we are not sure a case has been proven that it would be useful to open longer hours.”

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said that it continued to monitor the operation of the Sunday Trading Act, which it described as a “compromise”. However, sources said that changes to Sunday trading regulations were not “at the top of the DTI’s list” and a change to them could require primary legislation, for which there was little available time in the parliamentary schedule in the next year or two.

Usdaw, the retail union, said that it was convinced that there was no appetite from shop staff, consumers and most retailers for extending opening hours on a Sunday. John Hannett, general secretary, said: “Retail staff are entitled to have time off.”

Ann Widdecombe, the Conservative MP for Maidstone & The Weald, who opposed the easing of Sunday trading restrictions in the 1990s, said that retailers had already won the right to trade on Sundays, creating noise for nearby residents, and that the 1994 change should be enough. “Whether you have a religious objection or not, most people think there should be one quiet day to spend with your family,” she said.

The Church of England is also against any further erosion of the specialness of Sunday. A spokesman said: “We don’t seriously see there’s a need for people to have more time for shopping.”

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