Regional UK weekly the Shrewsbury Chronicle will offer both paid and free content, Press Gazette reported. The Chronicle will be delivered for free to 30,000 homes in the town centre, while outside of the city, the paper will be sold for 40p per copy.

The Shrewsbury Chronicle, along with its sibling paper the North Shropshire Chronicle, are two of a number of regional papers that are following the example of the Manchester Evening News, a pioneer in adopting the part-paid, part-free format.

Colin Spicer, the managing director for Shropshire Newspapers, said the "response from advertisers has been overwhelmingly positive and we are certain the new paper will meet their changing needs."