Protesters empty library of books

People in a Buckinghamshire town have borrowed every single book from their local library to block plans to close it down.

They emptied shelves to take all 16,000 books from Stony Stratford library, near Milton Keynes, reports the BBC.

Milton Keynes Council is considering closing the library as part of plans to save £26m in 2011/12.

The Friends of Stony Stratford Library (FOSSL) said they were amazed at how everyone had pulled together.

Emily Malleson said that she calculated that books had been checked out at a rate of around 378 per hour.

"A local resident mentioned the idea, maybe as a bit of a joke, but we thought it was a great idea so we put it to FOSSL," she said.

"I put it on Facebook and emailed everyone I could think of and it's just gone absolutely mad.

"I think it's a very simple but clever idea and it's given something that people can act on and make their voice heard. The amount of support is just staggering."

More than 500 supporters joined a Facebook page and there is also a written petition and an online petition against the proposed closure.