Building work has officially begun on a new press hall for the North West Evening Mail.

The £5.5m project will occupy a new 10,000sq ft building near Cocken Lake on the Furness Business Park.

At full speed the new press from Sweden will be able to produce 55,000 papers per hour.

Among many combinations, it will be able to produce a 48-page tabloid paper with 32 pages in full colour.

Tony Raymond, managing director of Furness Newspapers, said discussions to consider investing in a new press for the paper began 18 months ago and the building project will be completed and up and running in about nine months' time.

He said finding the right new press had been a major decision for Furness Newspapers and its parent company CN Group.

He said: "Our current press has given sterling service over the many years it has been used to print the Evening Mail.

"However, given that parts of this machine were first employed three decades ago and that it was purchased second hand, it was inevitable that a replacement would need to be considered."

The new press will be delivered and installed in September and by next January it will take over from the paper's existing press.

Robin Burgess, chief executive of CN Group, said: "I am delighted that we are able to make this investment which will secure the Evening Mail for the next stage of its long history."

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