Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has elected to merge four areas originally intended to host stand-alone local TV channels into two.

The Gloucester and Malvern areas will now be covered by a single licence, while the Luton and Bedford regions have also been merged.

Ofcom said the “two sets of locations share sufficient cultural similarities”. The regulator added that it believed “merging the areas will make the licences more attractive to potential applicants, and the licensed services more likely to be viable.”