A BOOK missing from library shelves for nearly 28 years has been returned during an annual amnesty.

Good Bones, a collection of short stories by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, found its way back to Bexhill Library having been borrowed in October 1997.

It was one of 24,000 overdue books which East Sussex Library Service is trying to recover by waiving fines until the end of March.

“Since the amnesty launched on Monday, February 17, nearly 6,000 items have been returned,” said Cllr Claire Dowling, the county council’s lead member.  “It’s great to see them being returned to our libraries and made available for library users once again.

“Each year, around 5,000 books are not returned, and the amnesty is a great way to encourage people to check their homes for forgotten library books.  There is no judgement and no fines during the amnesty – we will just be pleased to have books returned.”

Of the overdue books, a total of 45 were issued before 2015 including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland which was borrowed in February 2014 and Seashore by Steve Parker which was issued in June 2014.

Cllr Dowling added: “As well as making them available for others to enjoy, every book returned helps to save money with fewer titles having to be replaced.”

Books can be easily returned to any East Sussex library during opening hours.  Alternatively, most libraries have drop boxes for out of hours returns.

Details of East Sussex libraries, information about renewing library books and access to online library services can be found at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/libraries

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