A new bike is always a popular Christmas present, and a surge in demand means Halfords is recruiting 1,100 temporary staff for the festive season.

The temporary vacancies at the retailer, which has stores in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud, are in addition to a recruitment drive for a range of permanent posts, as reported by Retail Gazette.

Halfords has seen a huge rise in demand for demand for bikes and cycling products, as people try to avoid public transport and look for ways to keep fit.

The chain has a huge waiting list of customers waiting for deliveries of adult bikes in particular, long after the usual summer peak. There is also big demand for children's bikes for Christmas this year.

Last week, Halfords announced a 116 per cent increase in underlying profit in the 26 weeks to 2nd October.