FOOD delivery company Deliveroo is recruiting riders ahead of its expansion into new territory in East Lancashire.

Over the next few month, the company hopes to sign up new delivery riders ahead of its launch in Accrington, where it will be working with restaurants and grocers.

This comes shortly after Deliveroo's launch elsewhere in the county, including in Burnley and Chorley.

Deliveroo head of UK expansion Berenice Cowan said: "At last, we've arrived in Accrington! We can't wait to bring everyone great food from local and national favourites, and to help local chefs reach new customers.

"Hungry foodies, here we come!"

The company has seen rider demand soar this year, due to the pandemic requiring more and more people to depend on deliveries for their meals and groceries, and now says that it works with 50,000 riders across the UK.

With recruitment in Accrington now under way, Deliveroo claims that working as riders suits people looking for flexible working hours and who may need to work around other commitments such as students or people who already have other jobs.

It also offers free riding courses for riders and their families.

However, the company has also faced recent criticism over its riders' status as 'self employed' meaning they are given a degree of flexibility over working hours, but consequently are not covered by normal employment rights.

As such, a report in March by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that a third of a test sample of 300 riders made less than the national minimum wage of £8.72, an issue that was further highlighted by industrial action launched by riders last month on April 7.

However the company has insisted that the majority of riders are satisfied with the arrangements.

Addressing the BIJ report, a Deliveroo spokesperson said: “Deliveroo riders have the complete freedom to choose when and where to work and can choose which deliveries to accept and which to reject. 50,000 riders choose to work with Deliveroo, and thousands more people apply to work with us every week."

To find out more about the company's launch in Accrington, go to: https://riders.deliveroo.co.uk/en/apply.