ONLY 50 people applied to work in a new Colchester supermarket - despite thousands being out of work across the borough.

Bosses at Tesco Express, in Magdalen Street, had 11 jobs to fill and advertised the vacancies online.

But despite 2,659 people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance in Colchester, only 50 applied for the posts.

Bosses have said they are “thrilled” with the response.

A new Tesco store in Cambridge recently attracted 300 applicants for only 20 jobs when it advertised earlier this year.

Critics have hit out, saying more should have been done to advertise the positions.

Pete Hope, of Go4, helps people out of work find employment, such as youngsters.

He said he was surprised so few had applied.

He said: “I’m amazed it was such a low number. I would have expected at least double that.

“The main reason must be because they only advertised online.

“If we had been aware of it we would probably have looked at referring people we work with because one of the things we want to do is feed them towards available jobs.

“Their website marketing must not be great.”

Retail jobs are the most sought after in Colchester, according to latest figures.

In a new report by Colchester Council, just under 1,000 unemployed people in the borough wanted work in the profession in November last year.

It also identified there were only 20 retail jobs being advertised at the same time.

Naomi Foster, store manager of the new Tesco, said all 11 vacancies had been filled by locals after interviewing 25 residents.

She said: “I was thrilled by the response we received to our recruitment drive.

“There were so many great applicants which made the decision very tough when it came to selecting the successful 11.”

The new store will be open by Christmas.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We advertise all jobs on our careers website 4-6 weeks before a store opens.

"We were delighted by the response and look forward to serving the local community for many years to come”.