CHATHAM Library has been closed after major structural and health and safety faults were found following a fire.

The library's reference and business section has been closed for some weeks for safety checks, but details of the fire - and its cause - were only beginning to emerge today. Staff have been transferred to other libraries, and readers are being referred to the reference library in Gillingham High Street.

Books can be renewed at any library or online at libcat.medway.gov.uk

A Medway Council spokesman apologised for the inconvenience and added: "The council places the health and safety of Medway's residents at the top of its priorities."

The library's replacement is a cornerstone of the regeneration of Chatham. The present library site is earmarked for a riverside park.