Sales of the Nottingham Evening Post increased by up to five per cent on Tuesday as people clamoured for news about a police shooting and a deadly car crash on its patch.

Details of a multi-car pile-up on the Post’s patch came in as the paper prepared to go to press with a front page devoted entirely to the news that PC Rachael Bown had been shot while investigating a burglary.

Words on the crash, which left six people dead, were quickly added to create a split front page for the paper which has an average daily circulation of more than 71,000.

Later editions included more information, pictures and reaction on both incidents.

Sales staff backed up their editorial colleagues as 5,000 extra copies were boxed out across the Post’s circulation area.

Newspaper sales director Stewart Millar said: “We had two incredibly strong and powerful stories but geographically they were at opposite ends of the Post’s territory and we had to pull out all the stops to get the areas covered.

“TV and radio had whetted the public interest in the stories but to read more they had to buy the Evening Post.”

Reporters David Marley, Sean Kirby, Alistair Harris and Natalie Murphy pieced together events on the shooting and got reaction from families of other gun crime victims, the police and city council leader Jon Collins.

Meanwhile Kevin Peachey and Marcus Boocock followed up the fatal crash and reported on the questions being raised on the safety of the stretch of road where the incident took place.

Praising the efforts of his team, editor Graham Glen told HoldtheFrontPage: “Nottingham is a very lively news patch and the newsroom is geared up to handle the big stories.

“Staff showed real professionalism to make sure everything happened as it should.

“It was interesting to see a national TV bulletin which sounded like a local broadcast – the first story was the police shooting, the second was the crash on the A52 and the third was the ongoing Neil Entwistle case which is also on our patch.