diff --git a/_pytest/assertion/reinterpret.py b/_pytest/assertion/reinterpret.py
index c598ec882..88fbb31a5 100644
--- a/_pytest/assertion/reinterpret.py
+++ b/_pytest/assertion/reinterpret.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ class AssertionError(BuiltinAssertionError):
                 self.msg = py.builtin._totext(args[0])
             except Exception:
                 self.msg = py.builtin._totext(
-                    "<[broken __repr__] %s at %0xd> %s"
+                    "<[broken __repr__] %s at %0xd>"
                     % (args[0].__class__, id(args[0])))
         else:
             f = py.code.Frame(sys._getframe(1))
diff --git a/_pytest/assertion/util.py b/_pytest/assertion/util.py
index 759385011..1787e7354 100644
--- a/_pytest/assertion/util.py
+++ b/_pytest/assertion/util.py
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ except NameError:
 def assertrepr_compare(config, op, left, right):
     """Return specialised explanations for some operators/operands"""
     width = 80 - 15 - len(op) - 2  # 15 chars indentation, 1 space around op
-    left_repr = py.io.saferepr(left, maxsize=int(width/2)) # XXX mangles unicode
+    left_repr = py.io.saferepr(left, maxsize=int(width/2))
     right_repr = py.io.saferepr(right, maxsize=width-len(left_repr))
     summary = u('%s %s %s') % (left_repr, op, right_repr)
 
diff --git a/testing/test_assertion.py b/testing/test_assertion.py
index 028cffe3b..2a18bbf01 100644
--- a/testing/test_assertion.py
+++ b/testing/test_assertion.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 import sys
 
 import py, pytest
@@ -176,6 +177,15 @@ class TestAssert_reprcompare:
         expl = ' '.join(callequal('foo', 'bar'))
         assert 'raised in repr()' not in expl
 
+    def test_unicode(self):
+        left = py.builtin._totext('£€', 'utf-8')
+        right = py.builtin._totext('£', 'utf-8')
+        expl = callequal(left, right)
+        assert expl[0] == py.builtin._totext("'£€' == '£'", 'utf-8')
+        assert expl[1] == py.builtin._totext('- £€', 'utf-8')
+        assert expl[2] == py.builtin._totext('+ £', 'utf-8')
+
+
 def test_python25_compile_issue257(testdir):
     testdir.makepyfile("""
         def test_rewritten():