In 2006, the publisher began giving the title away free on Thursdays and Fridays in the city centre, while continuing to charge a cover price on the outskirts. It enabled them to charge more for advertising because the city centre copies were picked up by more affluent professionals.

According to recent data by research company GfK NOP, readership of the title has increased 20% since the beginning of the year.

Additionally, the regional press auditing committee JICREG has said that the number of people reading each issue has risen to 422,359 from 351,983 in January 2011.

More importantly for Trinity, statistics show that the number of ABC1 readers, far more desirable for advertisers, has increased by more than 22,000 to 191,335.

David Sharrock, managing director of Trinity subsidiary MEN Media, which looks after the Manchester Evening News, said: "We are delighted that our part-paid, part-free model continues to reap rewards.

"To be able to report this positive swing in one of the most challenging periods in the history of the regional press is great news for us and a sign that we must be giving readers and advertisers exactly what they want."

Currently, 90,729 copies of the Manchester Evening News are given away free on Thursday and Friday, compared to 64,551 paid-for copies.

Local newspapers have faced significant losses in the past five to 10 years, forcing many to either close or find alternative ways to continue to achieve sales.