An iconic London weekly newspaper title has abruptly shut down after 160 years of covering the capital.

The South London Press has ceased publication with the loss of six jobs, four of them editorial roles.

The sudden closure comes just days after two of the biggest sports stories on its patch for years – Crystal Palace’s victory in the FA Cup Final and Charlton Athletic’s promotion to the EFL Championship.

It means last Friday’s weekly print edition proved to be the last while the paper’s website at londonnewsdaily.co.uk also appeared to have been taken down.

First established in 1865, for much of its recent history the SLP was a twice-weekly title appearing on Tuesdays and Fridays.

In 2006, it was responsible for one of the most memorable front pages in the annals of the regional press after fears that squirrels were becoming hooked on crack cocaine plundered from addicts’ secret stashes.

It was named Weekly Newspaper of the Year for titles above 20,000 circulation at the 2009 Regional Press Awards and as recently as 2017 it had a free weekly distribution of 63,000.

But the paper has had a chequered history over the past two decades with multiple changes of ownership.

Once owned by Reach predecessor Trinity Mirror, it was sold to Tindle Newspapers in 2007.

A management buy-out in 2016 led by the then editor Hannah Walker saw it relaunched with a “modern new look” but a year later it was sold on again, this time to leaflet distribution firm Street Runners, trading as MSI Media.

News of the closure was first shared online by its sports editor Richard Cawley, who has worked for the paper for 18 years.

He wrote on X: “Really sad news. South London Press is no more.”

“Been a source of real pride to work on the paper for the past 18 years – plus also had a two-year spell in the late 90s.

“Superb patch to cover for sport. Huge amount of fun. Can’t say didn’t expect this day to come though.”

Freelance football journalist Alex Grace also tweeted: “I’m sad to say that my time covering Millwall and other London clubs for the time being has come to an end following the closure of the South London Press.

“It’s been a pleasure to work alongside some great people.”

The publication was particularly renowned for its sports coverage with journalists such as Richard and Louie Mendez providing coverage of local teams in recent years.

The Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust said: “Sad to hear news of South London Press closing. They’ve championed football this side of the river for a long time. Local impartial journalism is crucial to supporters. A sad loss for the South.”