LIBRARY staff were allegedly ordered to give away free books from premises earmarked for closure.

Four Wirral libraries were scheduled to shut their doors for the last time last Saturday.

At the eleventh hour, culture secretary Andy Burnham stepped in and ordered a local inquiry into the planned closure of 11 of the borough’s 24 libraries.

Now Conservatives have accused Wirral council of giving away books ahead of the closures as they prepared to transfer the majority of stock to other libraries.

Despite denials from the council, a Bebington resident yesterday claimed he was given free books just a day before his local library was to shut.

According to the Conservatives, staff at Higher Bebington library were ordered by the council to stop the giveaway as news of the inquiry filtered through.

Immediately after Mr Burnham ordered the inquiry, the council suspended the closure programme, which was due to take effect from April 4.

Council leader Steve Foulkes welcomed the inquiry, which he expects to vindicate the controversial plans.

Conservative Parliamentary candidate Jeff Clarke said: “As if the selling of public books was not bad enough, staff were ordered to give away stock before the announcement the library would stay open.

“This episode is symptomatic of the indecent haste at which the library closures have been handled.

“It is somewhat arrogant of the administration to think they were beyond a point at which they could be called to account for their decision.”

Gordon Edwards, of Higher Bebington Road, said he was given his choice of a table of books.

He said: “They often have books for sale which they have stopped using.

“I asked if they were selling them off and they said just take them.”

He said he walked away with four books for his grandchildren.

A council spokesman said: “Our libraries have never given away any stock.

“Each library does a regular stock-take, allowing them to make room for new books by identifying and removing old or unpopular books.

“However, these books either go into the reserve stock collection, are transferred to another library or are sold in regular book-sales within that library.”