London, Nov 22 (IANS): In a major expansion of its London operations, social media giant Facebook is reported to have plans to hire 500 more staff in Britain.

Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook's head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is set to address the Confederation of British Industry's annual conference on Tuesday about the plans to hire 500 more staff in Britain, thus increasing its headcount by 50 per cent to more than 1,500, The Telegraph reported on Monday.

Facebook is preparing to move into spacious new offices in central London's Fitzrovia district next year -- one of several big moves planned by Silicon's Valley's best known names to bolster their presence in the country.

Last week, Google revealed that it will open a new London head office that will result in 3,000 new British jobs by 2020.

Apple also plans to set up a new headquarters in the redeveloped Battersea Power Station in the capital, while Amazon has said since the Brexit vote that it plans to create an extra 1,000 British jobs.