Newsquest’s printing plant in Brighton is under threat of closure placing 53 jobs at risk.

A 30-day consultation process is now under way with affected staff.

The site on the edge of the south-coast city is home to regional daily The Argus and sister publications.

Newsquest has alternative printing sites in Oxford, where it owns the Oxford Mail, and Southampton – home to the Southern Daily Echo.

The latest development follows Newsquest’s decision last autumn to close its printing base in Colchester, where the Gazette and Echo are printed among other titles.

It has also been reported that two subbing jobs are under threat at the Argus, on top of a series of earlier redundancies that saw the departure of deputy editor Frank le Duc.

The paper’s NUJ chapel is now understood to be holding a ballot on possible industrial action, with speculation among staff that all production may be moved to Southampton in the near future.

Newsquest Sussex had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.