ASDA has launched consultations with its staff over a major restructuring.

The talks with 5,000 staff could put around 3,000 back office store workers at risk, the PA news agency is reporting.

But the grocery firm said it also plans to create around 4,500 jobs in its online operations this year and will look to hire staff affected by the restructuring.

The company said the major restructuring has been driven by the "structural shift" towards online grocery shopping during the pandemic.

Roger Burnley, Asda chief executive officer and president, said: "The pandemic has accelerated change across the retail sector especially the shift towards grocery home shopping and our priority is to serve customers in the way they want to shop with us.

"The last 12 months have shown us that businesses have to be prepared to adapt quickly to change and I am incredibly proud of the way we demonstrated our agility and resilience through the pandemic.

"We know that these proposed changes will be unsettling for colleagues and our priority is to support them during this consultation process.

"Our plans to transform the business will result in more roles being created than those we propose to remove and our absolute aim is to ensure as many colleagues as possible stay with us, as well as creating the opportunity to welcome new people to our business."

Roger Jenkins, national officer for the GMB union, said: “Asda workers have had a torrid two years.

“The failed Sainsbury’s takeover, 12 months working on the pandemic frontline and now the uncertainty of a new takeover, sidling the company with huge debts and potential sell-offs.

“This is the last thing they need. The scope of today’s announcement means 5,000 people have their lives put on hold.

“Asda is a profitable company that does not need to enforce redundancies.

“GMB will battle hard to make sure no one leaves their job unless they want to.”

It is not yet clear what the impact of the move might be on staff at the company's stores in Dumbarton and Clydebank.