THE Echo has again received national recognition for the quality of its investigative journalism.

The paper won second place in the Scoop of the Year category of the prestigious Newspaper Society Awards, for a series of articles by Jon Austin, Travellers: The Truth. Jon was also shortlisted for Journalist of the Year at the awards ceremony, in Crewe, for his investigations into the sale of deathtrap sofas in Basildon.

Travellers: The Truth has now netted Jon four awards over the past year, including Best Reporter at the EDF East of England awards and Best Exclusive Story at the Creative East Awards.

The investigation also won him Press Gazette Reporter of the Year last June.

READ JON AUSTIN'S 'SLAVE LABOUR' INVESTIGATION ALL THIS WEEK IN THE ECHO