The tabloid-sized edition was introduced in November last year in the Carlton area, but this has been extended to include the Anglia, Meridian, Central and Granada regions.

Times Newspapers managing director Clive Milner said that the tabloid edition had attracted new readers to the newspapers.

The compact has created a significant new audience for the Times and it has been extremely well received by industry and readers alike, said Milner.

No figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations that include sales of the compact have been released yet, although it is rumoured to be selling around 70,000 copies a day.

The Independent was the first national broadsheet to release a tabloid edition, which is printed by Mirror Colour Print in Watford.

by John Davies