THE number of visits to libraries across Lancashire has fallen significantly, new figures show.

In the first three months of 2017/18 there were 845,866 visits made which is down by 256,242 compared to the same period the year before.

Visits had also dropped by more than 94,000 compared to the previous three months.

Last year total visits were down by 673,206 compared to 2015/16, according to a Lancashire County Council report.

The decline has been attributed to the closure of libraries as well as usual seasonal variations.

The number of people visiting museums across the borough has also dropped from 70,861 visitors in the first three months of 2016/17 to 70,140 for the same period in 2017/18.

However this is a significant increase compared to the 40,675 visitors in the previous three months.

Figures reveal that more people across Lancashire are now downloading library e-books.

In the first three months of 2016/17 there were 34,863 downloads compared to 49,249 in the first three months of 2017/18.

They have also increased compared to the previous three months from 46,985.