A LIBRARY earmarked for closure by Lancashire County Council may receive a last minute reprieve if talks between Pendle councillors and county officials are successful.

Wheatley Lane Library, Fence, is due to close on April 29 but councillors are to hold talks with the county council about taking over the running of the building, which costs about £13,000 a year to keep open.

It comes after more than 120 residents met at Wheatley Lane Methodist School to voice their concerns about the planned closure and propose ideas for additional uses for the building.

Coun John David, executive member for environment at Pendle Council, said: "We are very hopeful we can save it and that it will not close at the end of April.

"We can't subsidise county council services but we can provide other services and in that way keep the library."

He said currently only about half of the building was used so the library could also be used as a community centre to host events like a needle work club, keep fit classes, and toddlers groups.

He said the building would keep its current opening hours on Mondays and Wednesdays, but these might be expanded if the centre proved popular.

The library was built in 1974 to replace a library that was held in a classroom of a primary school and opened one evening a week.

In February county councillors voted to close nine libraries across Lancashire, including the one in Fence to save about £140,000 a year.

Former Fence branch librarian Shirley Ellis, who received an MBE for her services to the library, said: "I do hope that some funding can be found to keep it open."

She said that using the building to double up as a community hall would be a good idea as the village does not have such a facility at present.

County Coun Chris Cheetham, cabinet member for community services for Lancashire, said: "We contacted the district council to make them aware that any case for an alternative use of the building would be considered if we were contacted."