Striking journalists have accused newspaper bosses of lifting an exclusive story that they uncovered at a council meeting.

Reporters from South Yorkshire Newspapers, currently in their third week of an indefinite walkout, splashed on their bootleg newsletter about plans by Doncaster’s elected mayor Peter Davies to outlaw spitting in the town.

The story was picked up by the skeleton staff which is currently producing the weekly Doncaster Free Press when they were alerted by the strikers’ ‘bootleg’ newspaper ‘News Of The Don’ on Thursday.

Union members unearthed the story after covering a Doncaster Council meeting.

A re-hashed version of the scoop then appeared on the Free Press’ website after other staff, believed to be from another JP title, contacted the council for the same statement issued to the strikers.

A spokesman for the Doncaster NUJ chapel said: “Yet again the management of South Yorkshire Newspapers has demonstrated their breath taking arrogance.

“Stealing stories from their own journalists, who they have forced onto the picket line with their ludicrous plans, almost beggars belief.

The News Of The Don has been produced from the picket line since the start of the dispute with journalists finding a number of exclusive stories missed by their titles.

Johnston Press had not responded to HTFP’s request for a comment at the time of publication.