AMAZON bosses have announced they will be hiring over 200 new staff at their Gourock site for the Christmas rush.

The festive season intake is part of a wider surge which sees the company creating 10,000 jobs across the UK.

The new recruits at Faulds Park will join the 300-plus permanent staff based at the centre and they will be paid a minimum of £9.50 per hour.

Amazon’s workforce will increase from more than 30,000 people in the UK at the beginning of the year to more than 40,000 people by the end of 2020.

The Gourock centre has been very busy during the pandemic, with orders increasing.

Stefano Perego, their vice president of European customer fulfilment, said: "Our people have played a critical role in serving customers in these unprecedented times and the new roles will help us continue to meet customer demand and support small and medium sized businesses selling on Amazon.

"We prepare year-round for the festive season and we’re excited to have over 20,000 seasonal positions available this year to help delight our customers.

"We look forward to welcoming back seasonal workers who return year-after-year to work at Amazon and welcome new faces to the seasonal team.”

The future of the company's Faulds Park site was secured last year when a dispute with landlords was ended by a peace deal.

The online retail giant had been served with an eviction notice following a row over its lease.

Hundreds of jobs were safeguarded when the agreement was reached last November.

Now the 3000,000 sq ft centre will end 2020 in full swing with a busy festive season and increased workforce.

UK Government business secretary Alok Sharma said: “While this has been a challenging time for many businesses, it is hugely encouraging to see Amazon creating 10,000 jobs in the UK this year.

"The government remains deeply committed to supporting retailers of all sizes and we continue to work closely with the industry as we embark on the road to economic recovery.”

*People interested in applying for both permanent and seasonal roles at Amazon should visit www.amazonjobs.co.uk