A newspaper group which published seven community titles across the Central Lowlands area of Scotland has gone into liquidation with up to seven journalists’ jobs at risk.

Staff at Forth Independent Newspapers, publisher of the Wee County News, were told of the company’s collapse on Friday, according to reports in The Scotsman.

The Alloa-based group’s other titles includes the Allanwater News, the Strathallan News and Eastside News in Alloa, and the East Kilbride Mail, Eastwood Today and Avondale Mail.

Some of these titles had seen circulation rises over the past year, bucking the national trend.

It is understood that a liquidator has been appointed and that a buyer may be preparing to acquire some of the group’s titles.

The group acquired the East Kilbride Mail four years ago from a consortium which included the ex-footballer Ally McCoist, now boss of Rangers.

Martin Little, editor of Wee County News, told The Scotsman it was a “very sad day for all involved”.

He said: “Putting aside the personal disappointment, my thoughts are with the thousands of people who looked forward to receiving each of our titles every week. Communities have been at the heart of everything we have done.”