Northcliffe has closed its Exeter printing press, resulting in the loss of 60 jobs.

Printing of the Express and Echo and North Devon Journal, which had been done in Exeter, has now moved to Northcliffe's Plymouth press, along with a number of third-party contracts.

As a result of the closure five press technicians have moved from Exeter to Plymouth and all other affected staff have been made redundant.

The decision follows the loss of a contract to print the Daily Mail in Plymouth - leaving spare capacity on its presses six days a week.

Tony Grabham, managing director of The Northcliffe Press, South West, said the group had last year made a significant investment in the Plymouth press - which is of a higher specification - and so a decision was made to close the 14-year-old Exeter press, which is more labour intensive.

He told HoldtheFrontPage: "We have spent the past four weeks talking to staff and customers but we couldn't find a way of keeping it open.

"At the end of the day we have a big press sitting around doing nothing. As a result there are 60 job losses.

"The majority of those affected have found other jobs, which I am pleased about, but this is a tragic time for Exeter where there has been a press for more than a 100 years."