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New Sheffield presses set to roll in 2007

Presses are due to start rolling at a new newspaper printing plant in Sheffield in 2007.

Johnston Press is investing £60m on a new facility being built on the site of the former Dinnington colliery in South Yorkshire.

It will replace an ageing press on York Street in Sheffield city centre which has no room for expansion.

Once up and running around 60 newspapers a week will be printed at the site, including the Sheffield Star and the Sheffield Telegraph, as well as national titles such as The Sun and the News of the World for News International.

The press is the first triple width installation in the UK and will be manufactured by MAN Roland. Each of its 12 units can print 24 pages straight in full colour at 90,000 copies per hour.

The 12 units will be able to run into three folders to produce a maximum of 270,000 copies per hour across the plant.

Construction began at the start of the year and the foundations are now in place. The steel work will be erected this month and the frame of the building will be complete in December.