An online community newspaper has “closed for good” after an injunction effectively closed the publication.

The Thamesmead Gazette was a 40-page weekly tabloid until 1995 when it became an exclusively Internet production.

Staffed by volunteers in south-east London, it was suspended indefinitely due to a High Court injunction earlier this year, which was renewed this week.

Editor Claire McNeil said in a message on the website: “We would like to thank our loyal readers and supporters over the last nine-and-a-half years who have helped make this community publication a worthwhile endeavour, but we no longer have the funds to continue and, therefore, this publication has ceased.”

The company is unable to reveal the reasons behind the injunction, or discuss this matter in public.

Webmaster Marc Anderson admitted: “There are no plans for the Gazette to be published again.”

Marc, who runs the company which hosted the Thamesmead Gazette’s website, said: “The Gazette published a story two years ago taken from agency copy about a Russian website on mail order brides.

“The person running that website took exception to the article, saying it portrayed a negative view of mail order brides.

“The injunction has been devastating for the Gazette.

“It is so wide ranging and for a community-run and funded newspaper, no advertising means no money to fight the injunction.”

Gazette editor Claire McNeil is now working as a freelance in the United States covering the Federal elections and advisory editor Dave King is now in Romania. The paper was staffed entirely by volunteers.

The paper was set up to bring news and information to Thamesmead, comprising a town with around 200 housing estates and 33,000 people, because the staff felt the area was not receiving fair coverage.

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