HUNDREDS of jobseekers queued in the sweltering heat for the chance to join a booming East Lancashire computer firm.

More than 1,500 people turned up at Time Computers, Simonstone, hoping to grab one of 500 new jobs on offer.

A queue of almost 100 was waiting at the gates by 10am yesterday. At 2pm, with two hours still to go until the start of the firm's careers open day, the number of job hunters had risen to 900.

Car parks were full and many left their vehicles at the roadside in the rush.

By the end of the day, staff had processed 1,027 applications and Richard Harris, human resources manager at Granville Technology, said the firm was delighted with the response.

"We expected somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 on Sunday and today and we are certainly going to exceed that. We were very impressed by the calibre of the applicants,'' said Mr Harris.

Visitors were briefed and supplied with an application form before being given a 15-minute presentation.

Mr Harris said: "We will be sending the first job offers out tomorrow for vacancies in the customer care department."

Second interviews for some posts were being held today and will be staged every evening this week.

The job hunters came from across East Lancashire and included school and college leavers and middle age folk seeking a new career challenge. They included two young women from Burnley who are already in work but are looking to improve their situation and two friends from Blackburn who have both just left college and hope to get positions in customer service.

One said: "This looks like a good opportunity and we are hoping to be given a chance.''

The major expansion programme creating 500 new computer jobs in East Lancashire's 'Silicon Valley' was unveiled last week.

Granville Technology - the firm behind Time Computers - is looking to take on the new staff at its Simonstone headquarters starting almost immediately.

Around 200 will be recruited for the firm's computer assembly section with the rest in customer care and technical services departments.

The firm is one of the country's fastest growing companies and already employs almost 2,000 people across the country, including 1,000 at Simonstone.

In addition to the head office jobs, the firm is in the process of recruiting more than 450 sales staff for its 120-strong showroom network. Time was founded in 1987 by consultant paediatrician Dr Tariq Mohammed, who used a computer to calculate feed dosages for his patients.

He decided to see if there was a market for selling PCs by mail order by advertising one for sale in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph. He later set up a shop in Preston New Road, Blackburn, before the firm moved to Devonport Road and then Simonstone.

He and his brother Tahir Mohsan, now managing director of the group, have amassed a personal fortune estimated at tens of millions from the company's success.

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