Fast-reacting staff at two Lincolnshire papers pulled out the stops to be among the first to break news of the Concorde crash.

The Grimsby Evening Telegraph and the Lincolnshire Echo both had special editions rolling off the presses at 5.30pm.

The first PA snaps of the Concorde crash came through at around 4.20pm and the Grimsby Telegraph made an immediate start on a four-page colour wrap-round.

Printed at 5.45pm, with up-to-the minute reports from PA and file pictures, the paper was delivered to newsagents across the area and put around that day’s copies.

Editor Peter Moore said: “We have always taken pride in getting a big story onto the streets as soon as possible.

“It happened with the Gulf War, when we were the first evening paper in the country to print, and it happened with the death of Princess Diana when we produced a full paper on the Sunday and had it on sale by breakfast time.

“This seemed too good an opportunity to miss. We wonder, though – were we the first regional evening to do this?”

Meanwhile, some 2,500 copies of the Lincolnshire Echo were printed to hit the Late Final customers and were dropped at supermarkets and other late sale points in the city.

Reporter Alex Gore, assistant editor Richard Bowyer and editor Mike Sassi put a new front page together.

Richard said: “It was a big breaking story and we wanted to report it as we knew it would be making the headlines for several more days.

“We had first pop at it in front of the nationals – we’ve got to be there first in the market place if we can.”

It’s not the first time the Echo has rolled its on-site presses for late updates – it carried news that Sarah Payne’s body had been found and changed the late final edition on its run.

Was YOUR paper’s special edition on the streets any earlier?
Ring the HoldTheFrontPage newsdesk on
01332 291111 x6022, or to e-mail us now – click here