More than 30 million users have signed up for Meta's newly launched Threads app on its first day, the company's chief Mark Zuckerberg says.

And we're one of them!

You can find us on Threads by searching for 'news_shopper' or on your phone, visit our Instagram profile and you'll see a direct link to our Threads account in our bio. 

We'll be bringing you the day's top stories as well as highlighting the best of our area including places to eat, to go and things to do at the weekend. 

But we're also keen to hear from you and find out what you would like to see on this new platform?

Drop us a thread and let us know

What is Threads

Threads, created by Facebook and Instagram owners Meta, went live in the UK at midnight on Thursday.

The launch of the platform was brought forward by 15 hours and made freely available in 100 countries but it is not yet available in the EU due to regulatory concerns.

Linked to Instagram, it allows users to post up to 500 characters of text and up to five minutes of video and links, as well as pictures.

The platform is directly linked with Instagram, which has more than two billion users.

Users of the new app will be able to use their Instagram login to get started and, like on the picture-sharing platform, can follow and connect with friends and influencers with similar interests.

The arrival of the new app comes after Twitter announced TweetDeck is to become the next part of the company to be limited to users who have paid for verified status.

Two days earlier, Mr Musk announced non-verified users would be limited to reading just 1,000 posts a day.