A daily prize competition in the Exeter Express & Echo is attracting more than 100 text messages a day as readers flock to take part.

The idea came from a Swedish newspaper which editor Marc Astley visited recently, and has exceeded all expectations.

All the readers can win is a pair of cinema tickets, but the combination of the Sudoku challenge and the ease of SMS entry appears to have seduced the readers.

Marc said: “In all honesty, I expected 20 or 30 on day one but we received the first message at 9.26am and they kept on coming until just before midnight. We’re averaging 100 texts a day at 25p a pop.

“This week we also gave away another set of tickets via text for the Holiday On Ice skating show in Exeter which is hugely popular. Again we have received more than 400 text entries for that competition by lunchtime Wednesday.

“By the end of the week the number of messages for both competitions will easily top 1,000 – which is an incredible response.”

The Express & Echo has been experimenting with text messaging for about a year but previously each instance has been a one-off.

For the Sudoku competition, and another for the daily crossword, the paper has linked up with a local cinema which is providing a pair of tickets as a prize every day.

The paper shades four squares in each puzzle and the reader sends the letters or numbers that fall into those boxes in a text message to the competition number.