BBC News Online has won another award - according to the professional surfers at The Net magazine it is the world's best news site.

In the Awards 2000, the service was selected as a one of a handful of "essential sites" and for "giving us a glimpse of the future".

Editor Matthew Bingham says: "BBC News Online was definitely a clear winner.

"It is the best for breaking news, unlike newspaper sites which might only have a few updates during the day. BBC News Online is a genuinely interactive internet experience, managed as an internet enterprise, not just some offshoot of a print or other media company."

Monster site

Bob Eggington, BBC News Online's Project Director, said: "Maintaining this huge news site is a tremendous task and it's wonderful when the staff get some recognition for their efforts.

"We're very grateful to the judges at The Net and we will continue to work hard to maintain the quality of the service."

The award citation praised this "monster of a site" and said "blending the many facets of multimedia with the old-fashioned simplicity of a strong layout and exclusive online features, the site has quickly become an essential bookmark."

This is BBC News Online's latest award in a string of 11 successes, including two Baftas, the British Press Award and the Prix Italia. The site publishes over 300 stories every day and has an archive of over a million news items.