An independent regional news title has been banned from TikTok just three weeks after joining.

Wiltshire 999s had its official account barred from the social media platform over a breach of its terms about posts which show firearms being displayed.

The website had covered the conviction of a man from Cirencester who brandished an air pistol, threatening a professional drone pilot as he photographed a property that was for sale.

Wiltshire 999s included a video of the incident in its TikTok post, but this was detected by the platform’s algorithms that automatically suspend accounts displaying deadly weapons. The title has now rejoined with a new account.

Editor Daniel Jae Webb, pictured, told readers in a message on Tuesday: “We worked really hard to build a following on TikTok, but this acts as a harsh lesson.

“Despite only joining the platform about three weeks ago, we amassed nearly 20,000 likes and 300,000 views across just eight videos. There is a clear demand for our content.

“We have today re-joined TikTok with a new account – with the username @wilts999s – and hopefully, we can build our following up again.

“We are confident that the rules will be followed from now on; the majority of our news content can be posted without issue and is highly unlikely to breach policies.”