A long-serving weekly newspaper sports editor has been made redundant after 15 years with a regional publisher.

Russell Claydon has confirmed he had lost his job as sports editor at the Bury Free Press and four of its Iliffe Media sister titles in Suffolk.

As a result of the axeing, there are now no sports reporters based at the Free Press offices in Bury St Edmunds.

It is understood that sports coverage across Suffolk will now be handled from Iliffe’s Cambridge office where the regional sports editor Liam Apicella is based.

Posting on X, Russell wrote: “Almost exactly 15 years on from joining 5 papers based at the Bury Free Press, I have sadly been made redundant.

“My last day saw my team-mates present me with an alternative back page. Thanks to everyone who has read articles or given me an interview.”

The alternative back page presented to Russell by Free Press colleagues.

In his former role Russell had provided sports coverage for the Bury Free Press, Suffolk Free Press and Diss Express and has also edited the sports pages of the Newmarket Journal and Haverhill Echo.

In 2016, Needham Market FC barred the Bury Free Press from covering its matches after Russell ran an exclusive about the departure of a young striker.

Over the past nine months he had been providing digital-only coverage of Ipswich Town FC in their season back in the Premier League.

Before joining the Free Press, then owned by Johnston Press, Russell had worked for the East Anglian Daily Times in Ipswich, now owned by Newsquest.

Iliffe Media has declined to comment.