Supermarket group Asda is planning to assemble a 10,000-strong part-time army of workers to handle seasonal rush periods.

The company, owned by US store group Wal-Mart, wants a pool of permanent positions for people such as the over-50s looking to work as little as ten weeks a year.

The recruits will be permanent staff, but with a contract to work an annual, rather than weekly, number of hours.

Asda said it hoped the move would help it find a long-term solution to what it described as the perennial problem of recruiting and losing valued temporary staff.

Caroline Massingham, Asda retail people director, said: "We recognise that people are looking for flexibility across the working year, not just the working week.

"Asda's Seasonal Squad provides a real alternative to those looking for truly flexible working packages."

The jobs are designed to cover Christmas and other busy times of the year such as Easter and the school summer holidays.

They will include roles such as customer greeters, porters, checkout operators and warehouse workers.

Asda said it expected the scheme to help it save on recruitment, which costs the group £3,500 per person.