Residents urged to return overdue titles in annual book amnesty

AVID readers across East Sussex are being urged to return overdue titles to the county council’s library service as part of the annual book amnesty which launches on Saturday (February 14).

Residents are once again encouraged to return forgotten or mislaid books to their local library from Saturday, February 14 until the end of March without fear of being fined.

Cllr Claire Dowling, the county council’s lead member responsible for libraries said: “Having a plentiful supply of books available in our wonderful local libraries is crucial for people wanting to make the most of accessing free and varied information.

“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.”

The longest overdue item ever returned during the amnesty was missing from bookshelves for 48 years. Havelok The Warrior by Ian Serraillier, which was taken out from Hastings library, should have been returned in April 1975.

Meanwhile, Good Bones, a collection of short stories by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, a book missing from library shelves for nearly 28 years, was returned during last year’s amnesty. It found its way back to Bexhill Library having been borrowed in October 1997.

East Sussex Library Service anticipates the incentive of waiving fines until the end of March will mean that many of the current 38,000 overdue books will reappear. Thousands of books were returned within a month of the scheme being launched last year and it is hoped that in 2026 a similarly high number of books will be reunited with libraries.

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

Ends

Rebecca Durrant

Wednesday, 11 February 2026