Private Eye editor and BBC quiz show pundit Ian Hislop has praised the Rossington Community Newsletter after it missed out on the Paul Foot Award.

The title, one of seven Johnston Press monthly newsletters based in South Yorkshire, was up against journalism heavyweights for the annual investigative award.

Although editor Jim Oldfield and his team didn’t take the top prize, they still pocketed £1,000 for being shortlisted.

At the awards bash this week, Mr Hislop said the Newsletter’s revelations about plans for an eco-town in the area were a “truly terrific achievement”.

He added: “This team got to the news before any of the nationals, a long time before in fact, about the planned eco-town plans for the village of Rossington.

“Finally, when the nationals twigged that the eco-towns situation would affect the whole of Britain, the Rossington Newsletter was already there. It is a truly terrific achievement”.

Newsletter editor Jim Oldfield said: “We didn’t quite make it although, in the words of Alex Higgins, we were definitely the people’s champion – our nomination virtually brought the house down.”

Camilla Cavendish, of The Times, and Private Eye’s Richard Brooks shared the award, jointly run by Private Eye and The Guardian in memory of the journalist and left-wing campaigner Paul Foot who died in 2004.