Websites have been banned from holding ‘fake countdown sales’ by the Advertising Standards Authority amid fears the ‘psychological tool’ is fueling fast fashion.

Budget fashion website Boohoo was found by the ASA to have been using misleading “countdown” sales, where the consumer was promised a large discount if they shopped before a large digital countdown clock at the top of the page ran out. The page urged the customer to “hurry” before the sale “runs out.”

However, in many cases, the clock was found to reset after it ran out, and the sale was not time-limited as the website claimed.

A spokesperson from the ASA said: “Boohoo is breaking rules around sales promotions that we have investigated and ruled against previously which is why this has been passed straight to our Compliance team. Our team will work with the advertiser to ensure they bring their ad into line.

“In this specific instance, the use of a countdown clock is problematic if it misleadingly implies the offer is time-limited when that is not the case.”

A Boohoo spokesperson said that a small number of sales were extended due to “customer demand”, adding: “It is never our intention to mislead customers.

“We are looking into our processes to ensure that further diligence is exercised in relation to future promotions of this nature”.