A LIBRARY at the heart of a village community has reopened – 10 weeks after a flood forced it to close.

A pipe froze then burst at Slaithwaite Library on Britannia Road in early January.

Residents had feared that Kirklees Council – which must save £80m in the next three years – would close the library for good.

But the library and all its services, including its internet computers, were back in action yesterday.

And first through the doors was regular customer Bob Wallace who said: “It’s great to see the library back”.

While no damage was caused to any electrical equipment, the library’s carpets and some books were ruined by the flood.

The carpet has since been replaced and the flood-damaged decor has been refurbished.

Diane Wood, customers services manager for Slaithwaite Library, said: “I’m very pleased the library has reopened.

“The public thought it would be closed for a while. I think because it went on for so long the public were worried. Because of the large amount of damage the flood did it took a long time to dry.

“Everything has been fixed and there’s no longer the smell of stagnant water.

“All the services are back to normal. IT and everything we offer is up and running. Luckily no electrical equipment was damaged.

“People have come in today and are very pleased to see it open. It’s very much the heart of the community and we had repeatedly been asked by the public when we were going to reopen.”

Kirklees Library area manager Carol Stump said: “We are delighted the library is now open again, and we have the full range of services that we had before the closure. I would like to thank people for their patience during the closure, and hope to see old and new library users back as soon as possible”.