The number one tourist attraction in Weston, The Grand Pier, was sold for the first time in 61 years - and Archant South West's Mercury exclusively brought their readers all the details just hours later.

The landmark has been in the same family for three generations and the newspaper found out it was being sold to the town's entrepreneurial brother and sister business duo Kerry and Michelle Michael.

Both sides involved in the multi-million pound deal had signed confidentiality agreements but after building a close relationship with Mercury staff they kept the paper up to date with every bit of news 'off the record'.

As the deal was due to be signed off just as the paper was going to the press, Mercury editor Judi Kisiel decided to prepare a wrap to break the news so it could be pulled if the worst happened.

The printers gave the paper a deadline of 4.30pm on Wednesday - but despite the business people starting to go through the legal papers at 9am, by 4pm the deal was still 'a way off'. There was even talk of delaying the publication of the whole paper by a day.

Then great news arrived as the press had broken down giving extra time to decide on the wrap!

At 9pm the pier was finally officially sold and moments later the press was up and running for the Mercury to break the story across the region.

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