The success of the Fakenham & Wells Times and Dereham Times in giving readers unrivalled coverage of local news, sport and entertainment has paid off in rising sales, according to the latest figures from the newspaper circulation watchdog.

The Times’s two editions were among a small number of weekly newspapers around the country to see circulation rises in the second half of 2011.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) said an average of 7,134 copies of our two papers were sold each week between July and December, a rise of 10pc compared with the second half of 2010.

Ian Clarke, community editor of the Dereham Times and Fakenham and Wells Times, said: “We are delighted with the sales increase and we are really grateful for all the support from our readers and advertisers.

“We have been at the heart of the community since 1880 and pride ourselves on serving our towns and villages with the best possible local news service.

“The Times is committed to campaigning for our area, and we are proud of the blend of community news and pictures, sport and nostalgia which we provide every week.

“We feel that the sales rise is testament to how we are engaging with our communities.”

The circulation figures also revealed rising sales for our sister newspapers around Norfolk and Suffolk, all published by community media group Archant.

Separate statistics also show a sharp rise in readership online. There were 8,888 unique visitors to our two websites in January this year, a rise of more than 70pc on the same month last year.

Page impressions over the same period rose by more than 90pc.

Andrew Orchard, general commercial manager for the Norfolk weeklies, said: “These circulation figures are testament to the success of our editorial and commercial teams in delivering the kind of content people want and advertising that delivers results.

“They show how we are at the centre of our communities and reflect our effort to engage with our readers week-in, week-out in print and hour-by-hour online.

“We’re delivering a growing audience for our advertisers: that’s audited and official.”

Johnny Hustler, managing director of Archant Anglia, added: “I must thank all our readers – this is fantastic news and a great tribute to our staff who are devoted to improving the quality of our newspapers.”