A RECORD number of jobseekers turned up to Swindon’s annual fair looking for work.

About 2,500 people attended the town’s job centre during the four-hour recruitment event held at the offices in Princes Street on Tuesday.

Debenhams, The Body Shop and Marks and Spencer were among the big names hoping to sign up new recruits, mainly in the warehouse and customer services sectors.

“It has been one of the most successful job fairs we have had,” said Swindon Jobcentre’s work coach manager Julie Marshall.

“We had a variety of employers in, such as Asda, Greggs, Utility Warehouse, Dyson, Nationwide, Industria, as well as Robins Farm, De Vere hotels and Rayburn Healthcare.”

PMP, which recruits for Amazon, and Templine, hiring for B&Q were also among the attendees.

Ms Marshall said: “For the first hour we counted 1,200 people, so there must have been about 2,500 people there – and that’s an underestimation if anything! It has been packed all day.”

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in Swindon decreased by 9% between January 2016 and January 2017 and the current figure is 39% less than in 2012.

Spurred on by the success of the fair, Swindon Job Centre plans to hold another in three months.