THE Dorset Echo has continued its sales success story by being crowned the best-performing newspaper in England and Wales again, according to the latest official industry figures.

The ABC circulation figures for the six-month period January to June this year show that the Dorset Echo topped the newspaper sales list of all Monday to Saturday regional daily papers in England and Wales and was second best overall in the UK.

It follows its previous sales success of being the best performing newspaper in the UK for the two consecutive six-monthly audited periods in 2009.

The audited figures show that the Dorset Echo had an average daily sale of 18,121 copies compared to 18,505 for the same period last year, a small decline of 2.1 per cent. The performance is in stark contrast to many newspapers which have seen their sales drop by up to 17 per cent.

Toby Granville, editor of the Dorset Echo, said: “Once again, the Dorset Echo has bucked the trend for local newspapers in the UK by being among the best performing for sales. Our talented team strives to deliver an unmissable mix of local news and sport six days a week and we are delighted that in doing so we are the best regional daily paper in England and Wales – and second best in the UK.”

“We would like to thank all our loyal readers and advertisers for their continued support – and hope they continue to enjoy being part of our success story.”