IT has been another crazy year across Worcestershire, with 2020's Covid chaos continuing.

With Christmas and the new year just around the corner, we have put together our regular rundown of the most-read stories from this year.

JANUARY: Coronavirus outbreak confirmed at Tesco in Worcester

As expected, Coronavirus continued to dominate the headlines in 2021.

January's most-read story was of the outbreak at the supermarket in Warndon, where as many as 12 people were believed to have tested positive.

FEBRUARY: Murder victim named locally as Christina Rowe

February's most-read story was the tragic killing of Christina Rowe.

Her death sparked a police hunt in Worcester and led to the arrest of 24 year-old Charles Byrne, who appeared in court in December.

MARCH: Murder arrest after woman dies in Worcester

Another murder dominated the news in March, with a woman in her 60s being murdered at an address in Worcester.

Police, forensic officers and two ambulances were on the scene.

Neighbours reported that a young woman was led away by police and said: "I've killed my mum."

APRIL: Paedophile teacher choked to death on breakfast in prison

April's most-read story was the death of John McKno, who was jailed in 2016 for abuses he committed at a school in Tenbury.

The 74 year-old died from heart failure and choking while eating his morning meal at Norwich Prison.

There is also an honourable mention (or maybe not) for February's second most read story: The Worcester car parks and beauty spots being used as dogging hotspots.

MAY: Local Elections - Tories increase majority in Worcestershire

May was dominated by the local elections, which saw the Conservatives in Worcestershire increase their majority.

There were some surprise results, with Labour losing five seats to the Conservatives including the council's party leader Robin Lunn and previous leader Peter McDonald.

JUNE: Worcester lad rumoured to be joining the Love Island villa

More than 30,000 people read our story about Worcester lad James Price, who was at the time rumoured to be joining Love Island.

Although he was not among the first guests named on the show, he said he was "going to bring some Worcestershire sauce" to proceedings.

JULY: Worcester dad says Twitter account was hacked after Rashford tweet

July's most-read story, hot off the heels of England's Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy, was a dad from Powick who was arrested after a tweet from his account targeted the Manchester Utd and England forward.

Mr Scott said: "I am getting loads of grief over this. I was hacked.

"I would never write anything like that. As soon as I woke up I deleted the tweet.

"I don't know who did it or why, but these things happen all the time don't they?

"I love football. I am a family man. I know how the sport works. I would never tweet anything like that."

AUGUST: Mystery over "dead crocodile" solved

A slightly strange one for August, when the most-read story was the discovery that a "dead crocodile" spotted in a Worcester street was not actually as it appeared.

It was believed the creature was an infant crocodile or possibly a Caiman after it was found in a substation in Sydney Street.

However, Western Power Distribution later confirmed it was, in fact, a very realistic toy.

SEPTEMBER: 200 bikers escort bullied girl to school prom

A truly heartwarming story for September this year, when a fleet of bikers helped 15-year-old student Felicity Warburton enjoy her prom.

The convoy was arranged after the teenager suffered years of torment at the hands of bullies.

OCTOBER: Pedestrian hurt after car collision in Deansway

October's most-read story was of the pedestrian taken to hospital in a serious condition following a crash in Deansway.

Police and highways teams kept Deansway and the road up to Worcester Cathedral closed, causing serious traffic issues throughout the city.

NOVEMBER: Worcester cafe tells customers to leave food at home

Staff at Auntie Em’s Tea and Toy Emporium, in the City Arcade on The Shambles, have taken to social media to voice their annoyance at people bringing their own food.

They also highlighted how many parents bring their children for the play area but do not purchase anything, instead taking up tables for hours at a time.

DECEMBER: Restaurant goes viral after being dubbed best in UK 

And our story about how Worcester restaurant Hanbao had caught the eye of a Tik Tok food influencer was the most read of December.