Newsquest (Sussex) has agreed to acquire Surrey & Sussex Publishing Ltd and Horley Publishing Ltd, publishers of Gatwick Life and Horley Life.

The newspapers' founder and editor, Graham Larcombe, will remain with the company along with his wife, Cherry.

The two free weekly titles will continue to be published from their offices in Horley.

Howard Scott, managing director of Newsquest (Sussex) - publisher of the county's This Is web sites and the Argus and Leader Series - said: "This is an excellent acquisition.

"These two strong titles will complement our existing portfolio and extend our coverage into the nearby Gatwick area."

Graham and Cherry Larcombe said: "We are very proud of what we have achieved in the past seven years. Horley Life is recognised as the local paper for Horley while Gatwick Life, first published in August 1998, has quickly become the best-read paper for the airport.

"However, we do not have sufficient resources to develop the titles to their full potential and we are delighted that a leading newspaper publishing company such as Newsquest is acquiring us and that we will be working with it at this very exciting time."

The acquisition is subject to regulatory consent.