A multi-million pound library was forced to shut early because of yobs terrorising users.

Litter Lever has been blighted by anti-social behaviour in recent times.

Now a meeting will take place after youths behaved in an anti-social manner.

The library is now back open fully and action has been taken against the youths.

Cllr Sean Hornby raised the concerns with the council.

The £5m facility was opened on the site of the Tesco on Market Street less than a year ago.

Cllr Hornby raised complaints said an old lady visited him after witnessing behaviour such as throwing chairs, causing disturbances and using e-cigs inside the building.

He said staff were “powerless to do anything."

Cllr Hornby added: “These youths are putting members of the public and our council staff at risk.”

He asked the deputy leader Cllr Hilary Fairclough to meet with him and library staff about the issues.

Cllr Fairclough agreed to this, but said she believed problems at the library had been improving.

She said: “I do know that there have been a number of issues in Little Lever.

“My initial thought was that things had improved.

“That is what the library service have indicated to me.

“Since opening the library in February 2022 the new Little Lever Library has welcomed in 56,000 people through the door which I think is fantastic.

“Whilst I’m not trying to minimise the issue, clearly the majority of people who have been through the door have not felt it necessary to throw chairs.

“The library is hugely popular with all members of the community including children and young people.

“When I visited when it opened I was hugely impressed with the area for young people.

“Although there has been some challenging behaviour from a minority group, who use the library, they have not been very respectful, they have engaged with the services and they have responded positively to activities designed to assist.

“One of the things that was done was the library has closed early for a number of weeks so that we get the message across about better behaviour.”

She also said the library team had liaised with police, community teams and youth services and a local high school. And this has been effective in working with a minority of young people who have caused problems.