Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT), the owner of the Daily Mail, said that it did not expect an end to the advertising downturn this year, although performance at its national titles was ahead of its rival Trinity Mirror.

Advertising fell 5 per cent at Associated Newspapers, home to the Mail and the Evening Standard, in the quarter to June 30, with growth at the publisher's freesheets helping to offset weakness at the Standard.

“We definitely don't expect to see advertising pick up in the short term and that means certainly this year,” Peter Williams, the finance director, said. Softness in the company's third quarter has continued into July.

Advertising at Associated tumbled by 9 per cent in June, but was ahead by 4.5 per cent in May. Cover price increases helped total revenue higher by 0.4 per cent to £243 million.

Trinity Mirror, the only other national UK newspaper group to publish figures since the downturn, reported a 13.5 per cent decline in advertising at the Daily Mirror and its other nationals in May and June. Mr Williams said that the relative market positions of the titles accounted for the difference in performance.

Advertising at Northcliffe Newspapers, DMGT's regional newspapers unit and owner of such titles as The Hull Daily Mail, fell by 11 per cent compared with the same period last year. All big categories were lower, but property was down by 25 per cent and recruitment by 10 per cent.

The pace of decline accelerated in May and June at Northcliffe, DMGT said, with advertising revenues at the regional titles down by 12 per cent in May and 16 per cent in June, slightly worse than the 12 per cent reported by Trinity Mirror in those months, but better from Gannett, the American owner of The Herald, in Glasgow.

DMGT's electronic information, trade show and professional publishing activities were unaffected by any economic slowdown, and all posted improvements. That offset weakness elsewhere and overall revenues were 5 per cent ahead on the same quarter a year earlier.

The shares rose nearly 9 per cent to 339p amid relief that the figures were not worse, although many analysts moved their full-year profit forecasts towards the bottom of the previously expected range.

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