The entire editorial team at the Bristol Observer is to leave, with the free weekly to be run from existing resources of the Bristol Evening Post.

The Bristol Observer is Northcliffe Newspapers’ largest free weekly, publishing five editions and printing around 180,000 copies every week.

There will be ten redundancies, including editor Peter O’Reilly. Three trainees at the title will transfer to the Evening Post.

The decision follows a full consultation process and review of the title, during which staff were alerted that redundancy was an option.

Managing director Tim Kitchen said: “We have decided we can produce the Observer more cost-effectively and still give the readers as good a level of service as they currently enjoy, while offering our advertisers the very best platform to promote their businesses.

“The editorial will be repurposed copy from the daily newspaper, and the subbing operation will be absorbed by the Evening Post’s subbing team, from mid-April.”

The move brings the Evening Post/Observer relationship into line with many other Northcliffe centres where the free newspapers are produced by a staff of one or two people – or less – with copy sourced from the daily publication.

Previously associate editor of the Western Daily Press, Bristol Observer editor Peter O’Reilly has enjoyed a long and varied career in journalism working on newspapers all over the world.

He began his career on the Rochdale Observer and prior to his role at the Western Daily Press he had worked as news editor and deputy editor at the Western Gazette Series for ten years.