UP to 30 Tesco staff are at risk of redundancy after the grocery giant told workers the Metro store in Barrow was closing.

Staff at the store said five managers, one community champion and four team supports have already been made redundant at Tesco Metro on Flass Lane.

Another 30 positions are also set to be lost.

Insiders say staff have been told the Roose store will close within 18 months and it is rumoured that a property developer is looking to buy the land to build new homes on the site.

One regular shopper at the Tesco Metro said the store’s closure would be ‘a massive loss to the community’.

“For a lot of the elderly people living round here there’s nowhere else to go and get your shopping if you don’t drive,” the pensioner said.

“It’ll be a massive loss if this shop closes.”

A Tesco employee who works at one of the other Barrow stores said: “The team leaders, community champion... have already been made redundant and some other staff have been given the option of moving to other stores but basically they’ve told staff 30 jobs are at risk. We’ve heard a property developer is looking to buy the site in Flass Lane to turn it into houses.”

Tesco was approached for comment but did not respond to The Mail.

In August Tesco confirmed plans to cut 4,500 jobs with the retail giant’s Metro stores set to be the hardest hit by redundancies.

Tesco has three Metro stores in the county – two in Barrow and another in Carlisle.

The changes to Metro stores will include fewer products in the back of the store, with more moving straight to the shop floor when they are delivered.

One worker at the Roose Tesco Metro store said this week: “We’ve been told it’ll be closed within 18 months.”

Staff will also be expected to be more flexible, working across different departments and adding more focus on keeping stock levels high during busy lunchtime rushes, among other tasks.

The company said in a statement in August: “The Metro format was originally designed for larger, weekly shops, but today nearly 70 per cent of customers use them as convenience stores, buying food for that day.”

Barrow Borough Councillor Mark Burley said: “Christmas isn’t too far away and it is horrible for anyone to lose their job.

“I can’t understand why when it is such a busy store - I’m quite surprised.

“The company makes billions of pounds and yet people’s livelihoods can just be thrown away.

“I’ve been in this position myself and know how difficult it can be.”

Shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw, which represents more than 160,000 Tesco staff, call for the government to take action to tackle the crisis in retail.

Its national officer, Pauline Foulkes, said: “We will be working hard to make sure that any members potentially affected by these proposals are supported at this difficult time and throughout the consultation period."