Proposed cuts by Johnston Press across six of its weekly titles in the North West that are said to be performing “poorly” commercially have put eight full-time equivalent editorial roles at risk.

The National Union of Journalists’ Johnston Press chapels in Preston and Blackpool said in a joint statement that for commercial reasons the publisher did not reveal which titles were affected by the cuts, “initially leaving many workers in the dark”.

Johnston Press has 25 titles in the North West of England, including dailies the Blackpool Gazette and Wigan Evening Post, and two magazines: the monthly Dirt Bike Rider and the weekly TMX News (Trials and Motocross News). The remainder are weekly newspapers.