Carmarthen Journal closing office in town after 200 years Published duration 11 June 2018

image caption The Carmarthen Journal is one of the oldest newspapers in Wales

The Carmarthen Journal, which has been based in the town since 1810, is to close its office.

The newspaper's six staff have been told they can work from home or move to the company's Swansea office at the end the month.

The paper will continue to be published weekly after its King Street office closes.

Owners Reach PLC said the change would not affect its "commitment" to Carmarthen.

The Journal has been based in Carmarthen throughout its 208 year history.

The most recent figures from ABC show the paper had an average paid print circulation of 8,372 across its six editions, covering Carmarthen town, the Amman and Towy Valley, the Gwendraeth Valley, Lampeter, the Teifi Valley, and Whitland and St Clears.

In 2015, The Journal featured in the BBC TV programme Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience, which saw the comedian work as a journalist at the newspaper.

Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Jonathan Edwards urged owners Reach to reconsider its decision.

He said: "Carmarthen Journal is the oldest newspaper in Wales and has been at the forefront of quality journalism for decades.

'Retain presence'

"Local papers play a vital role in safeguarding political democracy. Without fully resourced local papers, political openness, transparency, accountability and scrutiny become casualties with far reaching consequences."

The announcement comes six months after the Journal's sister paper, the Llanelli Star, announced the closure of its office on Cowell Street.

A spokesman for Reach said: "This decision has been taken following a review of both customer footfall at our King Street office and the closure of our Llanelli base last year.

"The new working arrangements in the Llanelli area, where our local reporters are equipped with kit - laptops and iPhones - which allows them to access all our editorial systems from the field, has proved successful.

"Our commitment to Carmarthen will not be affected by this change and we plan to retain our presence through a dedicated weekly town centre presence, where customers and readers can access our teams for help and advice.

"A similar set-up in Llanelli town centre has already demonstrated the effectiveness of such an approach, which allows our reporters to cover the patch from within the community, using the tools of the modern multimedia publishing world, ensuring they are close to the people and the stories that matter."