A rival title has been launched by Jason Marshall.

Speaking about the Hawick Paper, Marshall said: “We’ve had a phenomenal reaction to the paper from townsfolk and advertisers, all of whom have backed us to the hilt. We’re a hyper-local title, with reporters on the ground in Hawick, and very affordable advertising rates.

“For what it’s worth, re the current state of the industry, people haven’t fallen out of love with newspapers, they’ve fallen out of love with what’s in them.

“There’s not a word in our paper today that doesn’t concern our town and that’s the only way we will succeed.”