The success of the North Norfolk News 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 News is part of a family of newspapers, including the Eastern Daily Press and four other paid-for weeklies which have all seen increases in sales in the second half of 2011.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) said an average of 7,527 copies of the News were sold each week between July and December, a rise of 6.7pc compared to the second half of 2010.

Editor Richard Batson welcomed the industry-beating performance.

'This rise shows our editorial and commercial teams are delivering the kind of stories, pictures, information content and advertising the local people of North Norfolk want.

'Because we are based and work in the community we know what our readers are interested in, and through local decision-making we strive to provide it week in and week out,' he added.

'The latest figures prove that, but rest assured we are not going to rest on our laurels. We are the only local news media covering the whole of North Norfolk and we will keep trying to make our paper and website even better.'

The circulation figures also revealed rising sales for the News' sister newspapers around Norfolk and Suffolk, including the Dereham and Fakenham Times and EDP, all published by community media group Archant.

Separate statistics also show a sharp rise in readership online.

There were 13,355 unique visitors to northnorfolknews24.co.uk in January this year, a rise of 64.9pc on the same month last year.

Page views over the same period rose by 53.5pc to 60,620.

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.

'All credit to the title editors and journalists, sales teams and distribution colleagues who are responsible for this success. We're proud of products and delighted by these circulation figures.'

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.

'I am especially pleased that we are giving our advertisers even better value for money by increasing the size of their audience.'