A Welsh hyperlocal website launched less than two years ago has received its two millionth page view and exceeded 10,000 monthly users.

Mywelshpool.co.uk  was co-founded by former regional newspaper journalist David Williams who has attributed its success to the increase in rural smart phone and tablet use.

The site which covers a rural area of Powys has recorded two million page views in just 20 months and has welcomed 10,000 unique users in a one-month period for the first time since its launch, an increase of nearly 30pc compared to the same period last year.

Said David: “Who would have thought 20 months ago when we launched that we would have enjoyed such a phenomenal growth?

“To think that 10,000 visitors are now logging on every single month is astonishing when you consider the population of the area that we are reaching out to and the lack of rural broadband coverage.

“But we don’t take the support of people from the Welshpool area for granted and we will continue to work around the clock to deliver the latest news and sport… and of course it will always be delivered for free.”

The popularity of Twitter and Facebook locally is thought to be a large contributor to the growth with a combined total of 3,000 followers on both social media platforms receiving tweets and alerts of breaking and latest news.

The Google Analytics figures also show a sharp increase in the number of readers now accessing the site using smart phones like iPhones and Blackberrys. IPad user numbers are also on the rise.

David added that more sites could be launched in the future.