The Darlington & Stockton Times has been judged to be North-East Weekly Newspaper of the Year for an unprecedented third year running.
At the North East Press Awards held at Newcastle Civic Centre on Saturday, the award was made to the newspaper's editor, Malcolm Warne, by Kate Adie, formerly the BBC's Chief News Correspondent.
The judges praised the newspaper for its "no-nonsense, comprehensive and compelling manner.
"Traditional in appearance but hard-headed in its approach, it maintains high standards of content and presentation. Supremely readable, it is inseparable from its community."
Mr Warne said: "This has been a great honour for the newspaper and its hard-working staff. Ultimately, the judges that matter are the readers and I am pleased to say we have more and more of them."
In 2002 the newspaper's circulation grew by 3.8pc.
The Northern Echo, sister paper to the D&S Times, won the overall North-East Newspaper of the Year title at the awards. Its staff, including Mike Amos, Steve Pratt and Christen Pears, won a string of individual awards.
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