Supermarket giant Aldi is set to take on 4,000 more staff over the next year after delivering a new year pay rise to its 30,000-strong shop workforce.

The German-owned discount chain - which operates across sites in East Anglia - is increasing its national minimum hourly pay rate for store workers from £9.40 to £9.55 from February 1.

Shop staff working inside the M25 will see their pay go up from £10.90 to at least £11.07 per hour.

Aldi is one of the only UK supermarkets which also pays for breaks.

The pay rise announcement follows Morrisons' pledge last week to take its minimum rate to £10 an hour or above from this April.

Aldi said it wanted to recognise the "outstanding efforts" of its employees throughout the pandemic. Staff at the group were also awarded bonuses in April and December.

In total, the company employs more than 36,000 people across the UK. By 2025 it aims to have 1,200 stores in the UK - where it currently has more than 900. To reach its goal it is aiming to open one store a week.

Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: "I want to express my sincere thanks to every single Aldi colleague who stepped up when it mattered and helped us succeed in our most important mission of all - feeding the nation.

"Their outstanding efforts have ensured that our customers continue to have access to fresh affordable food, every single day.

"It has never been more important to ensure that our colleagues are rewarded fully for their immense contribution during a challenging period for everyone."

Aldi said it plans to increase its minimum hourly rate for store staff to £10.57 after three years nationally and £11.32 after two years in London.

Its new rate will be 83p more per hour than the current National Living Wage, and £2.35 more for staff working within the M25, the group said.

Earlier this month, Aldi hailed a record 10.6% sales rise in the four weeks to December 24.