Newspaper publisher Daily Mail and General Trust today reported a 13% fall in third-quarter revenues, but said the decline in advertising revenue at its national and regional titles slowed.

The firm, which owns the Daily Mail and 100 regional newspapers, said revenues fell to £520 million in the three months to the end of June. It was saved from a steeper decline by its business-to-business operations, where sales slipped only 3%.

Shares in DMGT, which until earlier this year owned the Evening Standard and is still a shareholder in the newspaper, fell 12p to 298p after a strong rally since late June.

National newspaper advertising revenues dropped 12%, compared with a 23% decline the previous quarter. British regional newspaper advertising revenues fell 33%, compared with 36%.

Chief financial officer Peter Williams said trading remained in line with market consensus for a full-year pre-tax profit of £180 million.

Chief executive Martin Morgan said: “Since we last reported in May, trading conditions have remained weak, in line with the board's expectations.”