Trinity Mirror has released its latest set of trading results, which show encouraging advertising growth in the past two months.

The figures are an update for the second half of the financial year and are issued prior to the preliminary results which will be published in February.

The group publishes the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People, as well as regional titles the Liverpool Post & Echo, Newcastle Chronicle and Journal, Middlesbrough Evening Gazette, the Western Mail & Echo, Birmingham Post & Mail, Coventry Evening Telegraph and Huddersfield Examiner.

The update said vigorous cost control across all sectors had limited the impact difficult advertising and economic conditions might otherwise have had on its underlying performance, which remained in line with expectations.

Other factors included a reduction in digital media investment, lower interest rates and strong cash flows.

And the regional titles were showing “encouraging signs” of advertising growth, according to the company’s latest trading update.

It said: “There have been encouraging signs of advertising growth for our regional newspapers over the past two months.

“Furthermore, a small improvement over October and November is expected in December.”

In October there had been an overall advertising growth year on year of 1.2 per cent with recruitment up by 2.6 per cent.

The regional “from Biggest to Best” strategy was also continuing at considerable pace, delivering revenue and cost based performance improvements.

But circulation revenues were down 1.5 per cent in the period July to November, with volume decreases partially offset by cover price increases.

Revenues from the regional titles also grew marginally by 0.6 per cent in November with recruitment up by 1.4 per cent, compared with a year on year fall of 2.4 per cent in the third quarter and 2.5 per cent in the first half, said the group.

But regional differences meant that Trinity businesses in the North, South Wales, Ireland and Scotland were continuing to do well and act as a balance to the tougher West Midlands and Southern markets.

The announcement said: “Although trading conditions in London and the South East remain difficult, there are signs of improvement in this area.”

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