SUPERMARKET shoppers were evacuated from Tesco yesterday evening, after a harmful gas was discovered to be leaking from a fridge.

Staff at the Tesco Express in Langford Village, Bicester, sounded the alarm at about 8pm when they noticed what they thought was smoke coming from the store room.

About 30 shoppers were forced to leave the store and wait outside, while four fire engines attended the scene. 

Watch manager at Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service Jon Hardy said the smoke-like substance had actually been gas coming from one of the store room fridges. 

He said: "It can be harmful if it is breathed in. The Tesco staff did absolutely the right thing by sounding the alarm and evacuating the building."

Fire fighters made the area safe and then an engineer was called to fix the appliance.