Weekly free newspaper Kent on Sunday is to close at the end of the month, blaming a “challenging period” for the industry.

First published 15 years ago, the last edition will hit newsstands on November 26, following an announcement from the title’s owner Archant this morning.

It was confirmed there will be “a number of redundancies”, although Archant will try to find roles for “as many staff as we can” elsewhere in the group.

Its sister website KentNews.co.uk will also close.

Jeff Henry, chief executive of Archant, said the announced of the closure came “with much regret”.

He said: “It has been a challenging period for the newspaper industry as a whole and whilst we have sought to stabilise this part of the business over many years, the continuing decline in commercial revenues has had an adverse effect on this newspaper title.

“I would like to thank the committed members of staff who have worked tirelessly to make Kent on Sunday one of the most revered regional newspapers in the country.

“We will aim to find roles for as many staff as we can across other parts of the Archant portfolio, but we believe that there will be a number of redundancies as a result of this change.”

"It has been a challenging period for the newspaper industry as a whole and whilst we have sought to stabilise this part of the business over many years, the continuing decline in commercial revenues has had an adverse effect on this newspaper title..." - Jeff Henry, Archant

Archant bought KOS Media, the publisher of Kent on Sunday, for an undisclosed sum in 2010, having previously held a minority stake in the business.

ABC figures to the end of December 2016 showed Kent On Sunday’s distribution stood at 42,234.

Kent on Sunday editor Chris Britcher said: “Obviously we are all hugely disappointed at the decision.

“However, we have seen the direction the industry is going in and the challenges we have faced have been enormous.

“We all take enormous pride in Kent on Sunday and during its 15 years I have worked with some fabulously talented people - and continue to do so.

“We will ensure our last two editions celebrate our legacy.”