LIBRARIES in Lancashire are a best-seller, according to Government watchdog the Audit Commission, which monitors how taxpayers' money is spent.

The Commission has placed the county's 84 libraries in the top six across the UK.

Inspectors said Lancashire County Council's library service was good and had excellent prospects for improvement.

They awarded the service two stars in recognition of its achievements so far and three stars in respect of its potential to improve in the future.

The inspectors found a customer-focused service, with friendly, approachable and knowledgeable staff, and praised the contribution made by the service to lifelong learning and social inclusion.

County Coun Marcus Johnstone said: "This is excellent news and proves that Lancashire County Council is capable of providing highly-valued public services.

"We have long known that the people of Lancashire value their libraries and now we have proof that we are providing a great service.

"We only had five weeks to prepare for this inspection, where normally a date is fixed a year in advance. This proves our libraries are well-placed to meet the challenges of assessment."

Lancashire libraries have introduced a number of community-focused activities in recent years which contributed to its success.

These include Smile Centres -- activity centres developed in partnership with a number of voluntary organisations for children with learning difficulties; the People's Network -- which provides free internet access to the general public; Dads and Lads -- a project aimed at encouraging more fathers to read with their sons, and Children's Book of the Year -- a long-running annual award presented by young Lancashire readers.