Twenty-one jobs could be lost at the South Wales Argus if parent company Newsquest closes its Newport printing plant and moves to overnight publishing.

Bosses at Newsquest, one of the UK’s biggest publishers of regional newspapers, are now consulting staff over whether to make the move.

At the moment only the Saturday edition of the Argus is printed overnight.

But if the change is approved, all editions will switch to overnight operations and printing would be moved to other Newsquest sites.

Gavin Steacy, Newsquest Wales and Gloucestershire regional managing director, said: “An extensive review of Newsquest printing has recently been conducted with the aim of achieving the most efficient use of the group’s press facilities.

“The review considered the current Newsquest printing facilities in terms of page and colour capabilities in relation to current and future scheduling requirements.

“The results of this review have highlighted significant spare capacity.

“As a result of this review, it is proposed to close the Newport press facility and migrate Wales and Gloucestershire titles to other Newsquest printing sites who can offer more colour and produce our titles more efficiently without the need for pre-printing and inserting, thereby reducing costs significantly for the group.”