The move would mean that drivers would need to book repairs to be done at their home or work rather than visiting a branch.

According to the Mirror, the changes at Britain’s biggest supplier of replacement car windows are expected to result in about 180 branch-based customer service workers and managers losing their jobs.

In a statement, Autoglass said: ‘Autoglass is a business with customer service at its heart. We strive to constantly evolve our business model to ensure that we continue to offer the best possible service to our customers.

‘As part of our ongoing commitment to customer service and quality, we have been reviewing our operational processes to ensure that we deliver the level of service expected by our customers now and in the future.

‘As part of this review, we’ve identified opportunities to bring our service closer to customers and have concluded that the role of our branch network as a Customer Service Centre may no longer be required in order for us to provide an efficient service to our customers.  We are entering into a formal consultation process to discuss this proposal with our people whose roles would be directly affected by this change.’

‘We can confirm that we are consulting with 179 branch-based employees regarding proposals to change our operating model. We appreciate this will be a difficult time for the individuals affected  and as such we are making every effort to provide the appropriate support and identify new opportunities for our people.  During this period of consultation we are therefore unable to make any further comment.’