The Inverclyde evening newspaper, the Greenock Telegraph, has begun to charge for access to large parts of its website.

For an initial £2.99 a month, readers of www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk will be able to receive breaking news and sports stories, plus exclusive web-only content, including competitions. 

The move - by publishers, Clyde and Forth Media - follows 12 months redeveloping the website, in the process acquiring some 31,000 registered users. 

The print version of the Telegraph, which publishes six days a week, retails for 40p.

Some parts of the website will remain free to access.

Says editor, Anne Caine: “With more than 150 years of proud tradition under our belt, the Telegraph is the home of local news, and it is now moving into an exciting new era.

“A phenomenal number of people, more than 30,000 and increasing every day, have already signed up to enjoy our terrific site, and many of those readers have told us how much they enjoy it.

“We hope that they will see the very modest charge we are making for our terrific content as exceptional value for money.

“This is a very bold and groundbreaking step for a group the size of Clyde and Forth Media to take, but we are confident we are offering readers a fantastic site that delivers all they need in terms of local news - throughout the day.”