A BOOKWORM says her library refused a gift of 104 books merely because putting them on the system would be too much work.

Mother-of-three Marianne Bick, 57, of Pitfold Road, Lee, decided to take the books to Grove Park Library on December 27 after having a clear-out.

But she says one of the librarians told her it would be too much work to catalogue them.

She said: "In these difficult days of ever insufficient funds, I was sure my local library would be delighted to be given more than 100 books, all of them recent publications including autobiographies, history, travel, fiction and love stories.

"I was, therefore, gobsmacked when I was told by the librarian they did not want books given by the public because it was too much work to put the books on the system."

Lewisham Council, which has investigated the incident, denies Mrs Bick was told this.

It says the borough's libraries do accept books which are in good condition and likely to be read by other people.

It also says the librarian told Mrs Bick she could bring the books back in the new year or take them to one of the borough's larger libraries as there was currently no room.

However, Mrs Bick says she was not told this.