THOUSANDS of staff at DIY specialists B&Q have shared in a £25m windfall.

About 30,000 employees at 320 stores and the company's head office in Southampton have received 8.25 per cent of their salaries as part of a profit share scheme.

B&Q announced that annual profits had increased 14 per cent to £300m in the year to February.

The bonus means a customer advisor on an average salary of £12,500 will receive a £1,000 payout while a general manager on £44,000 gets £3,250.

B&Q human resources director Mike Cutt said: "People are the key to B&Q's success.

"We want to share incentives across the company so that every one of our employees' hard work is recognised as contributing to the company's success."

The company profit share scheme always pays a minimum of six per cent but last year the figure rose to seven per cent of salaries.