One of the town's libraries is finally set to reopen months after it was hit by flooding.
Swindon Borough Council has confirmed that the West Swindon facility which has been out of use since last September, will be reopening to the public for the first time in months on Tuesday (June 11).
The council says its team, along with Link Centre operator GLL, have been working incredibly hard since its sudden closure following heavy rain and flooding last year and are pleased to announce the location will offer the majority of standard library services.
Work to restore printing, scanning and photocopying will continue over the coming weeks.
The library will reopen in a reduced space while other works continue.
(Image: Swindon Borough Council)
A spokesperson said: "We’d like to thank everyone for their patience and support while the team have been working to reopen the library."
The new opening hours are Tuesday: 10am to 2pm, Wednesday: 1pm to 5pm, Friday: 10am to 2pm and Saturday: 10am to 1pm.
As part of the announcement, the council has also shared a picture of the devastation that the flash flooding caused.
The spokesperson added: "The flood caused significant damage to the whole library, destroying books, IT infrastructure, flooring, equipment and the library delivery van.
"But bookshelves have now been restocked ready for next week's reopening.
"The library will need to close again later this year for a short period to enable significant electrical works to take place to replace the flood-damaged systems.
"We will update on this closer to the time."
(Image: Swindon Borough Council)
In April, the council libraries team confirmed that a site visit with GLL to review outstanding building works took place on May 1, where a possible opening date would be decided after that.
But people were warned then that the eventual reopening of the library would initially be for a reduced offering.
A council spokesperson said: "Please note that initially, the library will reopen within a reduced space, as flood damage has destroyed all ground floor wiring in the Link Centre.
"This is needed because, despite the restoration of mains power, at a future date GLL and their contractors will need to close temporarily to replace and renew all wiring."
Work to reopen the library was delayed because the concrete flooring was too damp to work with, but it has now dried sufficiently enough to allow new carpet tiles to be laid.
An electrical power system has been supplied to the library through a series of interim wall-mounted cables and sockets.
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