A halt on pay increases has been imposed at several divisions within publisher Archant, the company confirmed today.

The move follows similar announcements at other newspapers publishers but as yet it has not been imposed across of all Archant.

An Archant spokesman said: “Annual pay increases are agreed at a local level within all Archant businesses and announcements are made locally.

“MDs at Archant Norfolk, Archant Suffolk, Archant South West and Archant Herts & Cambs have all confirmed they have written to their staff to tell them that they are holding salaries at their current levels at this time.

“I am waiting to hear from Archant London. Archant Print has its pay round later in the year.”

Archant Life, the company’s glossy lifestyle magazine division, has also imposed a pay freeze.