BURY is "on call" for a massive jobs boost.

Telecom giant O2 is to create 300 new posts at its busy call centre in Dumers Lane by the end of September.

And the news underlines the company's boast of being the biggest private employer in town.

The local authority pulled off a coup three years ago when it helped to attract the then BT Cellnet to Bury, despite stiff competition from other towns.

Today, the company has an 800-strong workforce.

Bury is one of two major North West "member service" divisions of O2 and staff deal with thousands of clients.

Mr Gary Anderton, O2's Bury-based communications and community co-ordinator, said: "We are really becoming a focal point for the company and the 300 new staff will allow us to offer a better service to our members."

O2 has launched a massive recruitment drive to fill the 300 vacancies.

The jobs are being advertised and a recruitment sign has been placed outside the firm's premises.

When the business came the town, it traded under the banner of BT Cellnet. But following a de-merger from BT and a new branding, the company was renamed O2.

The firm selected Bury for its regional call centre after a survey of its customers revealed they liked the sound of the local accent. That, and the easy motorway access, made Dumers Lane the ideal location.