Howlett basks in the Manchester Sun

The Sun has added Dan Howlett as a general news reporter at its Manchester office.

The newspaper opened its office in the city last year, seven years after News International closed its previous Manchester office.

It initially had a team of seven but that has now increased to nine - seven reporters and two feature writers.

Howlett, from Middlesbrough, was previously a reporter at the Ross Parry Agency in Leeds and The Northern Echo in Darlington.

He has been brought in as cover for Lauren Veevers, who is on maternity leave. It is not known whether he will be kept on in the Manchester office once Veevers returns.