IT’S the town at the very heart of Wales but shoppers at its biggest supermarket have been shocked by displays promoting England’s football team.

While Wales, including star man Gareth Bale, are preparing for the nation’s first major tournament finals in nearly 60 years the Tesco store in Llandrindod Wells has sales displays better suited to shops over the border.

A stand promoting an England sticker album has been spotted in the aisles of its Waterloo Road superstore and at its adjacent filling station customers have been confronted by a giant display promoting Mars chocolate and its tie-in with the Three Lions.

The European Championships kick-off in France on Friday with England in the same group as Wales. The sides play each other on June 16.

Tesco has said it is promoting Wales’ Euro 2016 campaign in the store.

Wales fan Andrew Powell said he was taken aback to see the stand for the famous Panini sticker album.

Rather than a display promoting the Wales album, Tesco has a stand adorned with photographs of England players Joe Hart and Wayne Rooney and the England album and stickers.

In the petrol station customers are again confronted by Rooney and two of his England teammates standing underneath the word ’Believe’.

Mr Powell, of Builth Wells, said: "I was quite shocked by it, they are what you call point-of-sales displays and are immediately there in front of you as you walk in.

"I find it quite shocking. Wales have qualified for the first time in many years and they are promoting England."

Mr Powell, who has tickets for all three of Wales’ group games in France, added: "I’m a Wales football supporter and have followed them home and away for many years and here we are in the middle of Wales and a big organisation like Tesco are openly supporting England."

While 1966 World Cup winners England have suffered years and years of disappointment at the big tournaments, Euro 2016 is the first finals Wales have qualified for since losing at the quarter final stage of the 1958 World Cup.

"I suppose we have become so used to all this marketing material thrown at us but the fact is Wales have qualified. It is insensitive a lot of organisations haven’t recognised Wales have qualified and we aren’t in England."

The Wales fan said he was concerned at the promotion of England with its major commercial partners.

"I think it has a detrimental impact on Wales football supporters and Wales. It is almost like we have been brought up to think there isn’t a Welsh football team as we have this marketing rammed down our throats all the time."

Mr Powell said he is now likely to spend his money at supermarket Lidl which sponsors the Welsh team as well as England and Scotland.

"I’m unlikely to be shopping in Tesco in future I’m more likely to visit Lidl who are supporters of the Welsh national team."

Angharad Shaw, of Pontrhydygroes in Ceredigion, said she shops at the Llandrindod Tesco about once every three weeks and was disappointed to see the England sticker book display.

She said: "Personally I don’t like football. But I was very disappointed to see the England stand. I looked around to see if there was a Welsh one too, but I couldn’t see one.

"I use the word ’disappointed’ because, sadly, I am not very surprised. This seems to be symptomatic of the way that Wales is treated by English-based companies."

Both Mr Jones and Ms Shaw said they had logged complaints with Tesco.

A spokesman for Tesco said the displays were "supplier-led promotions" and that the store also has a Tesco-led marketing campaign for Wales in Euro 2016.

The store’ campaign features Welsh branded goods, including official Football Association of Wales merchandise, and Welsh flags are also displayed prominently in the shop.