The publisher of Gloucestershire's two flagship newspapers saw revenues fall by more than 5% in the first half of the year.

Reach plc, which produces the Gloucester Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo, as well as the Western Daily Press, saw overall revenues fall by 5.2% with page views declining by a quarter over the same period.

The company's half-yearly results showed revenues in the six months to June 30 fell to £265m compared to £279.4m in the same period last year.

Over the past 12 months the company reduced its costs by £22.8m with headcount down by 14%, mainly as a result of the November 2023 restructure which saw more than 300 journalists lose their jobs.

It meant that despite the fall in revenues, operating profits were up by £9.4m to stand at £44.5m for the half-year.

Jim Mullen, chief executive of Reach plc, said: "We are pleased to have delivered further operational progress this year, with our commercial and editorial teams making the most of the strong news agenda.

"Our customer value strategy continues to deliver long-term success, with an increasing share of data-driven digital revenue as well as digital growth returning in Q2.

"Alongside our expertise in managing our print product, we have traded our digital assets hard and delivered an operating margin improvement. We continue to build a stronger, more resilient business and are on track with our plans for the year."