Twitter has reported only the second profit in the social network's history after an unexpected leap in advertising revenue, capping a recent turnaround after years of disappointment.

The microblogging site said sales had increased 21pc in the first three months of 2018 to $665m (£477m), its fastest revenue growth for two years.

Despite Twitter's undoubted influence and public figures like Donald Trump using it as a microphone, the service has struggled to achieve either the global scale or healthy profits of rival social networks Facebook and Instagram.

Under Jack Dorsey, the company's founder who returned as chief executive three years ago, it has cut costs and overhauled its advertising business, allowing it to make a profit even as it appears unlikely to match the size of other social networks.

The number of people using Twitter each month increased to 336m, up from 327m a year ago, while the number who logged in every day increased by 10pc. It also said it had made progress on spam and fake accounts as it attempts to address the abuse that critics say has driven many people off the social network.