It has notified Telegraph of its intention to buy the plant and intends to remove the Hollinger directors from the board of West Ferry.

Express Newspapers now has 42 days to make a formal bid for the 80m turnover Docklands-based newspaper printer.

Express Newspapers believes that it has legal grounds to say that there has been a change of control at the plant even though the Telegraph Groups parent Hollinger Inc has not yet changed hands.

This could refer to the legal action being taken by Hollinger International to block Conrad Blacks agreed sale of Hollinger Inc to the Barclay Brothers Press Holdings.

Hollinger Inc owns 30% of the equity and 73% of the voting rights of its subsidiary Hollinger International, but is being challenged on whether it has the right to change the bylaws of that subsidiary.

Our contention is that there has been a change of control. Our plan will be to maximise the profitability of the plant, said a spokesman for Express Newspapers.

However, the Telegraph Group refutes Desmonds claim that there has been a change in ownership.

Telegraph Group editorial director Kim Fletcher told PrintWeek: As far as our legal advice goes there has been no change of control at the moment.

Fletcher added that any change in ownership of the Telegraph Group would not affect production of the newspaper because it is contracted to be produced at West Ferry until 2009.

Last month Richard Desmond, the owner of Express Newspapers, was said to have a keen eye on any sale of the Telegraph (PrintWeek, January 22).

Ironically, back in 2001 the Telegraph Group attempted to exercise its option to buy Express Newspapers share in the plant, after Desmonds company Northern & Shell bought the Express titles from United News & Media. This led to a lengthy and costly legal battle between the two sides over the value of the plant, and in the end it remained jointly-owned.

If the deal between Conrad Black and the Barclay Brothers fails, those lining up to buy the Telegraph Group reportedly include the Daily Mail
& General Trust, Richard Desmond and stockbroker Collins Stewart.

Story by John Davies