A new monthly newspaper in Staffordshire is proving so successful that further editions are set to be launched.

The Local Media Group has now published eight issues of the Burton Local News – a free title which started with a print run of 33,000 copies.

Doug Price, who co-owns Local Media Group with Kevin Curtis, remained tight-lipped about the exact locations for the new papers but he revealed that the five-year business plan could see a total of ten new monthly titles.

He told holdthefrontpage: "We have the areas organised and costed them as we are our own distribution company.

"There are other areas that have been targeted and hopefully they will all come to fruition."

Burton Local News is complemented by a website where readers can download an electronic version of the newspaper. It has proved so popular that the publishers have upped the original print run by 2,000 copies.

The paper, which is actually produced by a team of ten in Derby, relies on freelance and voluntary contributions from photographers and writers in the east Staffordshire town.

Local councils and the police also contribute to the paper but Doug stresses it contains proper news and is not a newsletter for political spin.

He added: "It's all voluntary and freelance which keeps cost down.

"We say to people 'If you have story and it's relevant information' then tell us.

"But we would never carry any overtly political stuff or spin - and we're not trying to rival the Burton Mail or Burton Trader."

Local Media Group started life just last year after Doug and Kevin decided to combine their extensive commercial backgrounds at local newspapers to set up the new business venture.

The company is now looking for a base in Burton.

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