IT was supposed to be a show of solidarity with the pop star Britney Spears – but a spelling error turned it into a message about Northern France.

A Poole wholesaler ordered 1,000 T-shirts supporting the #freeBritney movement.

But instead of bearing the name of the star who is battling to overturn a legal conservatorship in Los Angeles, the garments were emblazoned with “#freeBrittany”.

Karl Baxter of Wholesale Clearance said the mishap happened when the name was misspelled by his suppliers.

He hoped that fans would see past the mistake and buy the T-shirts at a discounted price of £3.99 so that he could raise the money to support Britney Spears and her fans’ movement.

Following his appeal, hundreds of fans around the world emailed and left comments requesting one of the T-shirts anyway.

Karl, managing director at Poole-based Wholesale Clearance, said: “I am shocked by the huge reaction that has followed my appeal for people to invest in one of the misprinted #freebrittany T-shirts.

“It’s really refreshing to see that people are willing to overlook a mistake to help the star’s fans in their #freebritney movement.

“After seeing so much interest, I have now put up an official advert where anyone can buy the stock.”

Earlier this year the wholesaler also launched a live auction in a bid to sell custom shirts for the now abandoned European Super League.

The failed football tournament caused a backlash among fans and within 48 hours, plans for the breakaway league were scrapped.

However, the six Premier League football clubs that signed up for the proposed European Super League back in April were not the only ones left red-faced.

As the story was breaking, Karl was tasked with finding buyers for the 72,000 custom ESL football shirts designed and made for a UK retailer.

The story went viral and the shirts were in demand from fans craving a piece of history.

Two Manchester City ESL shirts and two Arsenal ESL shirts are being auctioned, with one of offer each week, over the next month.

Fifty per cent of all monies raised from the auctions will be given to the Gale Foundation Trust, a Bournemouth charity which helps disadvantaged children.