THE taxpayer could benefit from two neighbouring companies fighting each other to buy the same plot of land in Taunton.

Cooks Commercials currently uses the Frobisher Way site it rents from Taunton Deane Borough Council as a transport depot.

But before negotiations had been completed, the Ministry of Cake, based on the same industrial estate, stepped in and said it is also interested in acquiring the 0.9-acre spot.

It appeared last August that the council was about to sell it to Steve Cook, from Cooks Commercials, who described it as "important to his business".

A report to the council's scrutiny committee next Tuesday said that negotiations had apeared "in the spirit of the discussions as being an instruction to sell to Cooks Commercials at market value".

But the authority is legally obliged to accept the highest offer and when the Ministry of Cake approached the council and said the "land is critical to its expansion plans", it was considered wise to permit it to enter a bid.

The council believes the firm is likely to offer "a substantial figure for the land".

The Deane now hopes to sell the land for at least 15 per cent above the market rate - if it fails to reach that price it would look at auctioning it off or even renting it out.