CUSTOMERS at a York supermarket will be among the first in the country to experience a new way of checking out their shopping.

Asda at Monks Cross has the first ever rapid-scan checkout till in the UK which has been specifically designed for bigger shop loads – complete with 360-degree laser scanning technology, cameras and a moving conveyor belt.

Shoppers have to unload their items onto the belt and watch their groceries scan through to the bagging area.

Mark Ibbotson, Asda’s retail director, said: “Mums tell us one of the main things they want us to do for them is save them time.

“We’re always looking at ways we can improve their shopping experience – and Rapid Scan is a technological triumph in that area.

“We’re the first to bring this amazing machine to our shoppers before anyone else, so we are really excited to hear what everyone thinks of it.

“A shop assistant will be working on the scanner to make sure the transaction goes as smoothly as possible, and will be able to focus on the famous Asda customer service with a sparkle 100 per cent of their time.”

Mr Ibbotson said the average weekly family shop took 45 minutes, and often a good portion of this was spent checking out.

He said the new rapid-scan products were up to three times faster than the average manual speed, thanks to its 360-degree laser that identified bar codes from every angle.