Two local titles in Northern Ireland have been closed by Johnston Press.

Local publisher Johnston Press has announced the closure of the Sunday Journal in Derry, and the merger of the Antrim Times and the Ballymena Times.

Johnston Press has closed and merged a string of local newspapers in the last month.

Eight free newspapers were closed in early October, while three free titles were folded into paid-for titles.

Four Yorkshire newspapers were also merged into two titles.

Since 2012, Johnston Press has closed 26 local newspapers.

 

The Antrim Times was folded into the Ballymena Times by Johnston Press.

On 4th October 2015, The Derry Journal's Sunday edition was published for the last time.

The Ballymena Times and the Antrim Times were last audited by ABC in 2012.

In the last ABC figures, recorded in the second half of 2012, the titles had a combined paid-for weekly circulation of 3, 357.

In the same period, the Sunday Journal recorded an average circulation of 2, 125.