IT’S been a bumper year for the Bournemouth Echo online.

In January snow may have brought Dorset to a standstill but online Daily Echo reporters, photographers and the digital team delivered minute-by-minute updates, pictures and video footage of what was happening across the county. You played your part too sending us hundreds of pictures and tweets to let us and readers know what it was like where you live.

Bedlam on the A338 during one of the hottest weekends of the year, prom pictures, coverage of Real Madrid’s visit to Bournemouth and a major fire at Canford Heath had readers flocking online in July and the site recorded 5.6m page impressions – its highest ever.

The fifth Bournemouth Air Festival was the most successful one ever online and we received the highest entries we’ve ever had for our annual photo competition.

In October storm St Jude swept across Dorset and a live blog kept you up-to date with the latest traffic and travel developments, plus pictures of the aftermath with live updates starting from 5.30am. The first ever Bournemouth Marathon Festival also took place and rolling coverage of the event and picture galleries set a new record; 563,409 unique visitors and 1,622,096 visits.

The weather continued to cause chaos over Christmas with residents evacuated, roads closed and trains heavily disrupted. The severe weather dominated over the festive period and once again live coverage proved key in getting information out to our readers and the blog became our fifth best read story of the year.

The In The Dock section proved ever popular and became the most searched term across the site over the past 12 months.

Group Editor of the Daily Echo and Dorset Echo, Toby Granville, said: “Whichever way you look at it, 2013 has been our most successful year on the website.

“We are continuing to build a hugely impressive online audience alongside our traditional print readership and we are really looking forward to developing it further in 2014.”

Thanks for all your contributions in 2013 - your comments, tweets, messages on Facebook, video footage and pictures - and we wish you all a very happy new year. 

Most read stories on the Bournemouth Echo in 2013

1. Murder investigation launched after woman’s body found at Horseshoe Common

2. Man killed in suspected hit and run while riding child’s micro scooter along A35 Upton Bypass

3. 16-year-old Jade Clark dies in accident on the A31

4. Jade Clark Arrest: Man remanded in custody

5. Trains reduced, power cuts and trees down as heavy rain and strong winds hit Dorset

6. Two arrested on suspicion of murder as body found on Christchurch beach

7. Anger follows bedlam on the A338 Spur Road

 8. Poole head teacher killed in head-on collision with fire engine

9. Storm updates: severe wind and rain hits Dorset

10. Man dies after car crashes into wall near Asda in Bournemouth