BRITISH Gas is to create an extra 2,000 jobs to help tackle an expected shortage of engineers, the company announced today.

And nearly 400 of them are expected to be taken on in the North-East.

The gas company had previously unveiled plans to hire 3,000 engineers by the year 2005, but that figure will now be increased to 5,000.

An industry-wide shortage of domestic gas engineers is forecast because of an ageing workforce, a fall in recruitment and increased customer demand.

British Gas said it aimed to recruit more women engineers, older workers, single parents and people on New Deal jobs programmes.

A new £1m training centre was being opened in Basingstoke, Hampshire, today by Skills Minister Ivan Lewis as part of the employment drive by British Gas, which also has training sites in Glasgow, Leeds and London.

Mark Clare, managing director of British Gas, said: "We're very pleased that we are able to recruit more engineers as we continue to grow our range of products and services for the home.''

A recent report from the Gas and Water Industry Training Organisation predicted a shortage of 34,000 domestic gas engineers by the end of 2004.

British Gas, which has about 7,000 gas engineers, runs two apprenticeship schemes for 17 to 23-year-olds and adults.