The Leicester Mercury has closed its Saturday evening sports results edition, the Sports Mercury.

Falling sales over the past 18 months mean the “Buff”, which cost 35p, is no longer viable, and it was published for the last time on Saturday.

Changing lifestyles, the growth of television sports magazine programmes and the switching of games away from the traditional Saturday afternoon slot are being blamed for its loss in popularity – recently selling an average of just 2,000 copies a week.

Mercury editor Nick Carter said: “Quite simply, not enough people want to go out and buy a results edition after 5.30pm on Saturdays to make the Buff viable.”

In contrast, the Mercury’s Saturday morning Sporting Blue sells between 5,000 and 8,000 copies a week, and resources will be used to develop this, along with sports coverage in the main paper and online.