MOTORISTS filling up their cars at a North-East supermarket forecourt got an unexpected special offer, when a mistake led to discounted diesel being sold.

Customers at Asda, in Whinbush Way, Darlington, saved 4p per litre for a short time on Tuesday (May 21) morning.

They were charged just 130.7p per litre, compared to the advertised price of 134.7p per litre.

Asda admitted the mistake and said it was quickly corrected.

One driver, who asked not to be named, said: “I had gone to fill my wife’s car up on Tuesday morning, at about 7am, and noticed the forecourt was busier than usual.

“There are only about half-a-dozen pumps and they were all busy.

“Then I noticed the diesel price at the pump was lower than advertised on the big sign as you drive in.

“Maybe word had got round that cheaper-than-normal fuel was on sale and people decided to take advantage.

“The member of staff in the kiosk wondered if perhaps there had been a mistake in setting the price.”

He added that when he drove past the next day, the price had gone up by another penny.

Asda denied that the increased price had been fixed in an effort to claw back any losses incurred by an hour of selling cheap diesel.

A spokeswoman said: “This was an error, rectified within about an hour. By no means was the rectified price in relation to the error.

“Asda leads on fuel prices and is one of the only – if not the only – fuel retailer to have a national price cap, so drivers know they are not paying more at their local Asda station than the one in the next town.

“We also aim to be the first to bring prices down, and the last to put them up, in reaction to wholesale fuel prices.

“It is also interesting to note that the Office of Fair Trading singled Asda out as driving down the cost of fuel in any area where there is an Asda forecourt.

“In this case, some lucky customers got an even better deal than they normally do when they top up at Asda.”