From April, the regional newspaper will be handed out free of charge in higher footfall areas of the city on the last day of the working week.

Birmingham Mail has an average daily circulation of 42,000 copies according to the latest newspaper ABCs, and these will continue to be sold at the 47p cover price on a Friday in outer areas of the city.

The publisher is also bulking up the daily publication with new sections aimed at the city’s residents, with food, drink, fashion and entertainment guides. The property section is also being revamped with a special city lettings section, and is joined by a reinforced sports’ section with weekend previews and fan comments.

Trinity Mirror Midlands managing director Simon Edgley said: "The content upgrades coupled with initiatives like the part-paid, part-free strategy for the Friday bumper edition will inject a new vigour into the Birmingham Mail.

"There is a real creative edge to our approach and we have already been hugely encouraged by the feedback from advertisers as we continue to develop the Birmingham Mail’s appeal to new and existing audiences."

A tablet edition of the Birmingham Mail is expected for the end of the year, part of Trinity Mirror’s strategy to move into cross-media, strengthened by its £8m buyout of The Communicator Corporation last January.