A regional news website has appointed a full-time reporter to cover the cost-of-living crisis.

Lancs Live has promoted Jamie Lopez to the role in order for the title to cover the “defining issue and challenge” of the coming years.

Jamie, pictured, has been a senior reporter at Lancs Live since last year previously worked on the Southport Visiter and Ormskirk Advertiser.

He will take up his new role at the end of this month.

Luke Beardsworth, editor of Lancs Live, said: “The impact of the current cost of living crisis will affect our communities in unimaginable ways.

“This isn’t going to be about cutting out a holiday or your subscriptions – it’s going to be about cutting out meals, and cutting out being warm.

“This is already an issue that people in Lancashire have felt keenly for many years. The pandemic and now the Russian invasion in Ukraine will only exacerbate things.

“This will likely be the defining issue and challenge, alongside climate change, that we need to tackle in the coming years. The best service we can provide for our readers is to have somebody covering the issue full-time.”