ESSENTIAL repair work at a town's library starts on Monday.

The work is expected to take 12 weeks.

Clitheroe Library will remain open while the essential maintenance and repairs to the roof and the bell tower takes place.

Owners Lancashire County Council have apologised for the disruption the work will cause.

For safety reasons, when essential repair work to the roof and the bell tower is taking place, the Moot Hall meeting room, on the top floor of the library, will not be available to the public. Other areas on this floor may also not be available at varying times, depending on the work that is being carried out.

Arrangements will be made to ensure public access computers remain available throughout the duration of the work.

County Councillor Peter Buckley, Lancashire County Council's culture boss, said: "Essential repair and maintenance work needs to be carried out at this library. The safety of people using our libraries is an absolute priority, so we'll need to close certain areas at various times Although we haven't got a definite date when the work will be finished yet, we will do all we can to make sure that this happens as soon as possible."

Cllr Buckley added: "I apologise for any inconvenience that this causes and we will keep people updated about the situation."