Staff at the two Ipswich titles were told of the move in two separate briefings by Archant Suffolk managing director Stuart McCreery.

In a company statement issued this evening, Mr McCreery described current trading conditions as "very difficult."

He said that the company did not have any "set ideas" about where reductions will fall, but suggested that they would come from photographic, production and the newsroom.

The statement said: "In 2008 the Regional Media sector saw revenues decline quickly and profits on many titles have declined significantly. The outlook is not positive and we have seen other media owners close titles, shut offices and make announcements about staff redundancies.

"The economic environment for Archant Suffolk is very difficult too. Whilst there is considerable effort and activity taking place to improve our revenue performance, it is clear that we cannot continue to operate with the same cost base.

"We have been in discussion with the National Union of Journalists to explore how we can make cost savings within the Editorial department for several months.

"Unfortunately the suggestions put forward to date have only delivered small savings and further discussions with the Union have not led as yet to any suggestions that will provide savings to the level required.

"Archant has taken the decision to invest in an enhanced editorial system that will allow us to exploit the digital opportunities we see whilst delivering efficiency in print content management.

"We expect the system to be delivered to Suffolk during 2009, and the effect this will have on how we work will become clearer as we start planning for implementation. We will inform and consult with staff at the earliest opportunity, but we do expect further headcount reductions as a result of this change to a more efficient work flow.

"The announcement today outlines a proposal to save costs and improve efficiency. We would like to avoid redundancies wherever possible. However, because the proposal to reduce headcount could mean that over 20 people are redundant we will be meeting with representatives from the NUJ, in order to consult with them before final decisions are made.

"Whilst we do not have any set ideas about where reductions will fall, our initial thoughts are that they might come from photographic, production and the newsroom.

"Where redundancies are to be made, we are committed to looking for alternative roles within Archant wherever possible and will ask for volunteers for redundancy before resorting to any compulsory redundancy.

"It is going to be a difficult time for the department and I am sad that we are forced to take this action. We will endeavour to give as much support as possible to all staff affected and conclude the process as swiftly as possible to reduce any extended anxiety."

Three months ago the two papers announced plans to merge their newsrooms from this month.

At the time of that announcement, five jobs were said to be at risk. An earlier decision to merge the production operations of the two titles had previously led to 20 job losses.

The editor of the Evening Star, Nigel Pickover, is the current president of the Society of Editors and has publicly called on proprietors to deliver more investment in journalism.