THOUSANDS of books that have been mysteriously vanishing from the shelves in Stourbridge Library have been thrown away in a skip, the News can exclusively reveal.

The books, all seemingly non-fiction covering subjects from art to sport to history, were found strewn in a skip in a car park underneath the town library.

Dudley Council claims its public library books are only thrown away if they are "dirty, falling apart or have not been issued for three or four years".

But the News can reveal some of the books found in the skip were in tip top condition, only published in 2002 and were last loaned out in 2007.

Concerned library users have for the last couple of weeks been trying to get answers from librarians and council staff over the strange disappearance of books, only to be told stock was simply being "updated" or "replaced".

Council spokeswoman Vikki Marshall told the News: "As part of stock takes within libraries, books are removed when they are old, out of date, damaged or not issued within three to four years. This makes way for new stock.

"We are currently editing stock at Stourbridge Library and have found items that have not been issued for up to ten years. Old books are therefore being replaced with new fiction and non-fiction books.

"Regularly updating stock ensures library users have a varied and updated choice and national evidence has shown it helps increase the number of books issued."

She said £8,000 worth of stock had recently been bought for the Crown Centre library and was currently being added.

And she went on to stress: "If books have been withdrawn from the shelves and they're still fit for purpose they'll then be sold at book sales at libraries across the borough. They won't be chucked away.

"If there are books in the bin that's because they are dirty and falling apart - that's the only reason we'd throw books away."

One concerned library user, who did not wish to be named, said: "The reputation of Stourbridge - on record as being the busiest library in the borough, as having a well-stocked non-fiction library for the whole community to consult on matters as varied as pet-care to gardening, military history to travel - is based on it having invested over many years in those kinds of books which the majority of people cannot afford to buy, art books for example.

"These books belonged to the community. Our taxes paid for them. We ought to have at least been consulted over any plans to reorganise or remove them."

Dudley Council claims to be investing in new fiction and non-fiction books to replace the missing stock, but our source says the only new books being bought for Stourbridge are all fiction at a time when contemporary fiction books are at their most heavily discounted.