Trinity Mirror's Cardiff newspaper printing press to close

The newspaper group Trinity Mirror is consulting with staff over closing its printing site in Cardiff.

The group prints most of south Wales' newspapers, including the Western Mail, South Wales Echo, South Wales Evening Post and the Llanelli Star.

A spokesman blamed declining print volumes and the relocation of a number of titles within its network.

It said it had entered into consultation with the 33 staff affected.

Alistair Milburn was editor of the South Wales Echo when the printing press facility was launched 13 years ago by Prince Charles.

"You'll come to a day sooner rather than later where the likes of the Western Mail won't exist as a print product," he told BBC Radio Wales' Good Evening Wales programme.

"The nationals will get slightly slower, the weeklies are still quite strong and you've got these regional papers that are really caught between the two, so it won't exist before long.

"I think it's a sign of the times. It's a sign of very low print runs. The Western Mail can be printed in less than an hour these days.

"Things have changed now, the news is more instant and it's going online."

Trinity Mirror acquired new titles in Wales after buying Local World in a £187.4m deal in October 2015, but it cut the jobs of two photographers, a sports reporter and a sub-editor in May 2016.

In August it said its half-yearly profit rose 42.3% after buying the group.

In May, it was announced that eight jobs were at risk at north Wales newspaper the Daily Post, including the Senedd reporter based in Cardiff Bay.

It also said six new roles would be created, including a politics reporter based in north Wales.