The Evening Star in Ipswich has seen an online and print bonanza as readers demand the latest news on the murders of three prostitutes in the town.

Evening Star editor Nigel Pickover said there was a hunger for news, electronically and in print, he had not witnessed since working on the Yorshire Ripper murders in the 70’s and 80’s.

He said: “The difference from then to now is that we have a constantly updated website, so whilst our print editions are selling out as fast as we can get papers out, our online service has seen rocketing visitor numbers.

“It’s been a monumental operation and our online operation has been providing news for print, via e-tributes, whilst witnessing its best-ever numbers.”

The prostitute serial killer saga was not the only big story – a nightclub shooting murder in Ipswich also led to thousands of visits.

Three special late print editions have been put out in recent days – with sell-outs reported across Suffolk for each.

When the body of 25-year-old Gemma Adams was discovered a week ago, the Star put out a special late edition that quickly sold out.

Another special edition followed when a second body was discovered, and on Saturday there was not a copy left on the shelves, despite an extra 5,000 copies being added to its normal Saturday 25,000 print run.

Newspaper sales manager Chris Ozanne, who took some of the papers out himself, said in supermarkets people had been taking them out of his hands as they were put on the shelves.

At the same time, the Star has also seen a surge in traffic to its website, which has been continually updated outside of the paper’s normal print deadlines.

Editor Nigel Pickover said: “It is an horrendous story, but it has given us a sales bonanza into Christmas.

“When we opened an online book of condolence for Gemma, there were so many messages that it made a print splash the next day.

“Print and online have been working in harmony.”

Web manager James Goffin said visitors to the website this weekend had greatly increased.

He said: “For the Star on Saturday we had four times the normal number of visitors and around three times the normal traffic on Sunday.

“Having the website has meant we can keep readers informed and updated in a way that we couldn’t do with traditional products and it has shown the value of a website to a local paper.”

The body of 25-year-old Gemma Adams was found in a stream at the village of Hintlesham, Suffolk, on December 2, while Tania Nicol’s body was discovered on Friday in the same stream at Copdock, near Ipswich. The body of a third woman was found in a wood at Nacton on Sunday.

There are also concerns for two more woman who have been reported missing. Do you have a story about the regional press?
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