First Jeremy Paxman berated their lack of support and suggested they were falling down on the job. Now Asda has joined the battle of the briefs with plans to pinch Marks & Spencer’s top spot in the clothing market.

Britain’s second-biggest supermarket is confident that it can become the nation’s first choice for pants, socks and other items by 2011. The chain, which is owned by the US retail group Wal-Mart, intends to sell 6,000 clothing lines over the internet and open 200 Asda Living stores.

But its plans to usurp M&S in the underwear sector may prove difficult. A poll by the consumer watchdog Which? published today ranks M&S’s underwear in first place, with Asda second.

The research follows concern voiced by Paxman, the Newsnight presenter, who questioned the quality of M&S briefs, saying he had uncovered “widespread gusset anxiety”.

In the Which? test, carried out under strict laboratory conditions, M&S’s Real Cool Cotton Trunks were pitted against similar garments from Asda, Tesco and the designer brand Calvin Klein. Scientists washed, tumble-dried and rubbed the pants repeatedly to see whether they kept their shape and colour. Pilling tests were carried out.

After ten washes, the £5 M&S pants proved the best at keeping their colour, had the least shrinkage and, along with Asda’s underwear, took the longest time to develop a hole.

The £1.75 George Trunks from Asda faded after washing and shrank in the gusset. F&F pants from Tesco were rated third. The £1.66 pair developed a hole quickest in the rubbing test and shrank most in the gusset, although their colour did not fade. Calvin Klein Body Trunks, £20, were last, shrinking and fading in the wash.

Liz Edwards, head of news at Which? said: “If you want pants to last and keep their colour, then M&S are definitely the ones to go for.”

M&S dominates the market. One in five men and one in three women wears its pants. But Asda, with an 8 per cent share of the £40 billion clothing market compared with M&S’s 12 per cent, is not intimidated.

Anthony Thompson, who left M&S to head George at Asda last year, said: “I am confident that Jeremy Paxman would not have a problem with our pants. We pride ourselves on good quality, and with George jocks he need not fear a brief encounter.

“Price will always play a vital role when it comes to our brand, but we are deadly serious when it comes to the quality of George.”

Asda’s share of the clothing market by value is lower than M&S, Primark and Tesco because its prices are generally lower. It sells jeans for £3 and recently it introduced a £35 tuxedo.

An M&S spokeswoman said: “We are very proud of our pants and think they meet a very high standard. We do an awful lot of testing and and always felt they measured up to scrutiny.”

She said that Paxman’s comments provoked a strong response, with much positive support. “It touches on a subject close to people’s hearts – or just close to them in general.”

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