Coverage of a dramatic fire at a popular Westcountry retail complex has given the Exeter Express & Echo a sales boost.

Aerial photographs of the inferno at Trago Mills near Newton Abbot and an extra edition of the paper helped the Echo sell an extra 4,999 copies week-on-week last Wednesday.

After learning about the fire - which involved 200 firefighters - the Echo news team moved swiftly to produce powerful coverage of the blaze that engulfed one of the region's best-known shopping centres and which has been described as one of the worst incidents that the county's fire service had ever dealt with.

The Echo carried pictures and reports in both its regular editions and then published an extra edition that captured the drama of the day, including stunning aerial pictures taken by staff photographer Oliver Sanders from a hired helicopter that circled the scene.

It was then up to the newspaper sales team to ensure that the late night outlets and supermarkets had the extras they needed.

Exeter managing director Ivor Bull said: "It was a great result and just shows that in these days of new technology there is a demand for quality news."

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